Renaissance Armor :: essays research papers

Armor          Through the arms of the knight we can actually evoke something of the knights who strove during the Middle Ages, men whose lives were shaped and who shaped the ideas of chivalry. I believe that weapons is, at base, an important, romantic medieval craft. Like all crafts, it takes technical learning and artistic merit to create a quality arrange. Other re-enactment societies tolerate a rich market for fledgling armoires to earn their wings without these markets, around 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 energy call "authentic". To create a piece of armor that strikes the commensurateness between form and function and stay within medieval visualise elements is difficult. The vast majority of armor now do by reproduc tion armoires is, unfortunately, sporting equipment. Some armoires do grow, however. In order to grow, they must learn the elements of means that define the periods in which they wish to work, perfecting their hammer 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 best 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 hang 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 break art. Art must, to my mind, communicate clearly to an audience. The greater the art, the much universal the message. For the armoire, to sift for art is to connect the mechanical defense with the spirit of chivalry. T o reach this spirit, I believe the armoire must fight they must use the armor and enroll and understand the mechanisms that motivate combatants on the field. They must strive to understand the ideals if they argon to add that spark that separates art from fine craft. Thornbird Arms was the company started in 1984 to lose ones temper 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 repair the quality of equipment available to re-enactors so that they could, in turn, bring a more authentic feel to the tournament field.