International studio (80.1925)

mueRHACionAL

fifteenth-century italian bari5ute

race horses, automobiles, yachts and air-
planes; punt, row and paddle small craft,
the fashionable world of Europe in the great
days of armor knew of nothing but military
sports, chief of which was jousting
on foot or horseback. The thrusting
impact of a great wooden lance or
the blow of a sword needed all the
protection that specially devised
armor could give and so we have
such a monstrous development as the jousting
helmet shown here, a piece weighing nineteen

pounds and securely bolted to the body
armor. A quilted cap was worn inside such a
helmet, the one inside the helmet we illus-
trate having been copied from an original in
the great Vienna armory. A more finely
decorated example is the jousting salade
with a decorated comb and what are believed
to have been the initials of the noble for
whom the helmet was made—"M. L."—
etched in relief around the edge of the bowl.
When a knight, wearing a suit of armor as
went with jousting helmets such as these,
was thrown down by his opponent he was
perfectly helpless until his squires came to

his relief, either setting him up
on Ins feet or upright on his
horse if he was not too much
overcome. In the case where
these jousting helmets were
shown was a contemporary
watercolor drawing showing two
mounted knights, after meeting
and breaking their spears against
each other's armor, lying back
on the cruppers of their chargers
in a perfectly helpless condition,
one squire shown as he is about
to straighten up his master on
his horse.

Since such military combats
dominated the world of fashion
of those centuries it was inev-
itable that the beautifying of

"cock's comb" armet with cock's
head visor

Jive hundred two

march I925