Riddle Game #9

[higgins]

A new riddle for a change! What's on the picture?

[thirtythr33]

Looks like a verveille to me. Or half of some other kind of pin and clasp combination for fastening armor.

[Marras]

A stud for armor?

[higgins]

Looks like a verveille to me.

Okay, that went way, way more faster than I ever could have expected. It is indeed a verveille.

This is the side it was hit. Just look at that bent metal.


This is for scale.


And for more context, it's probably this missing piece from here.


Or it could be either of these two.


I really need to find a reasonably priced aventail and attach it so the vervellies wouldn't poke out that much.

The attaching would look something like this:

He has one of them loose, too.

[Marras]

I never had a chance

[thirtythr33]

Woowoo! I wouldn't have ever got it if I hadn't watched this video which featured them. All of Knyght Errant's stuff is great btw.

Since I spoiled everyone's fun so quickly, I guess I'll throw in my own riddle.

What are these, and bonus points if you can tell me who they belonged to.

[Marras]

Pincers?

[higgins]

All of Knyght Errant's stuff is great btw.

Yeah, that has quite rapidly become THE channel to subscribe to if you are at all interested in medieval armor.

What are these, and bonus points if you can tell me who they belonged to.

I have a confident guess, but I'll hold it back for now lest we repeat what happened last night.

[thirtythr33]

Pincers?

Nope.

I have a confident guess, but I'll hold it back for now lest we repeat what happened last night.

In that case, you should try taking a guess at who they belonged to instead for the bonus points.

[higgins]

Are the gaps pointed towards or away from the prongs?

[thirtythr33]

Are the gaps pointed towards or away from the prongs?

I'm not sure this really applies to what these are. Perhaps a little hint will clear it up.

[Agamemnon]

... Sabatons?

[thirtythr33]

... Sabatons?

Indeed!



This particular pair belonged to Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I. The whole suit is on display at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Austria.



These things must be worse than walking in high heels.

[higgins]

Are the gaps pointed towards or away from the prongs?

I'm not sure this really applies to what these are.

I thought I would shut up until the answer surfaces lest I give too many inadvertent hints, but since Agamemnon nailed it.. The gaps are pointed towards the shin, so, it's most likely continental. The English ones tend have the gaps pointing away from the shin, though I'm not sure if any actual examples survive. This information comes from the effigies. I think later down the line the English adopted the European style, as it is seen on Henry VIII armors... Or his armors were made on the continent, I'm not sure, actually.

In any case, I realized it was a stupid question since the only type of armor I see those sabatons nicely fitting is the gothic armor. So, that type of armor is most associated with Germany, or Holy Roman Empire, so, that's a very likely suspect for origin.

Now, as to the owner himself... The hint helps a lot actually, since it shows of gold or brass decoration. So, some duke perhaps? I'm way too sketchy on the actual famous persons of that area and time period to say the least, so, I can't venture really further. I'm also not sure to what degree (if any) the neighbors of the Holy Roman Empire adopted the gothic plate. Plus armors were a popular gift item among royalty, so, it could have ended up in anyone's hands, really.

I hope at least one of those lines of reasonings ain't too far off, haha.

[higgins]

Haha, phone screen embarrassment.

The previous post from my point of view: Refreshed the thread on mobile. Saw that Agamemnon had replied, scrolled back up, hit "quote" and spent my entire commute swiping in my thoughts. But who's gonna believe that now, right?

Okay, yeah, I didn't think it'd be the actual emperor himself. I've seen later Holy Roman Emperor armors that are fully gilded, aka entirely covered in gold. Although, I've never seen a fully gilded gothic armor now that I think of it.