Gauntlet

This gauntlet provided armoured protection for the right hand. Despite its obvious protective requirements, armour was every bit as fashion-dependent as clothing. From the middle of the sixteenth century European fashions were dominated by Spanish styles which combined restrained forms with strong outlines of opulent decoration. Both clothing and armour emphasised a narrower silhouette than was fashionable earlier in the century. Decoration was contained within the body shape in the form of bands of etched ornament on armour and embroidery on clothing.

The etching decoration on this gauntlet is characteristic of the armour produced in northern Italy and southern Germany. Etching creates a two-dimensional surface decoration to contrast with plainer areas of polished metal. It was used as ornament on both fighting and parade armour from the late fifteenth century. The blades of ceremonial weapons in the late sixteenth century were also commonly decorated this way.

The technique involves coating an already -formed object with an acid-resistant substance such as wax and then engraving the wax with the desired pattern to reveal the metal underneath. The exposed areas of the metal are then eaten away when the entire surface is coated with acid, so that when the wax is removed a low-relief impression is left on the metal. This was usually blackened to increase the contrast. Low- relief etching made it possible to create highly decorated armours without affecting the structural integrity of the metal.