Renaissance Armor :: essays research papers

Armor          Through the arms of the knight we can in reality touch something of the knights who strove during the Middle Ages, men whose lives were shaped and who shaped the ideas of chivalry. I moot that weapons is, at base, an important, romantic medieval craft. Like all crafts, it takes technical acquirement and stratagemistic merit to create a quality piece. Other re-enactment societies provide a rich market for fledgling armoires to earn their wings without these markets, most craftsmen would never progress beyond the occasional hobbyist level. But there is a demand, both by collectors and experienced re-enactors, for arms, armor and accouterment that transcends sporting equipment and approaches something we might call " true(p)". To create a piece of armor that strikes the balance between form and function and stay within medieval design elements is difficult. The vast majority of armor now made by reproduction armoires i s, unfortunately, sporting equipment. Some armoires do grow, however. In order to grow, they must learn the elements of style that define the periods in which they wish to work, perfecting their devise and their eye simultaneously. The hammer is by far and away the easier thing to learn. But with perseverance and the willingness to look critically at personal projects, the armoire can refine his eye. The crush way to do this is to make exact reproductions, graduating to the next level, the creation of a new piece within a period style. To qualify, all elements of the piece must adhere to this style. Beyond the craft is the art of armoring. Most armor now made is equipment some is crafted well, and a small percentage transcends the craft reality to snuff it art. Art must, to my mind, communicate clearly to an audience. The greater the art, the more universal the message. For the armoire, to strive for art is to connect the mechanical defense with the spirit of chivalry. To reach this spirit, I believe the armoire must fight they must use the armor and participate and understand the mechanisms that motivate combatants on the field. They must strive to understand the ideals if they are to add that spark that separates art from fine craft. Thornbird Arms was the company started in 1984 to expand abilities with the hammer and to try to extend the opportunity to others. Most of them were crude by my current knowledge, but we strove in a heartfelt way to improve the quality of equipment available to re-enactors so that they could, in turn, bring a more authentic feel to the tournament field.