http://www.hadesign.co.uk/SRS/html/buckler.htm
A boss is two things. It is a metallic center to a shield and a shield alone. If you can get a copy of Di Grassi's Giacomo DiGrass you may find the citation you are looking for. However, the url above has several quotes from this book and other that roughly describes the size of a boss in the period you are describing. Chiara Francesca -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Robin Netherton Sent: Tuesday, March 18, 2008 1:13 PM To: Historical Costume Subject: [h-cost] Armor question This question relates to a costume issue I'm working on, but it's out of my own field. I am working with a document from England, c. 1400, that describes a brooch, worn on the chest, as being as wide as the boss of a buckler. There is no additional detail. I need to know what that would mean to the medieval reader. So: What is the typical diameter of a buckler boss (meaning the round metal stud-like thing in the middle of a small round shield) from c. 1400 England? I have no idea if any artifacts exist, but I know that shields with central bosses are evident in artwork. Rather than just look at illuminations and guess, though, I would feel better consulting people who work in armor of this period and have a broader sense of the available evidence. Bonus points if I can get a citation -- to either a written work (period document or a modern study), an extant artifact, or an expert who has studied these well enough to be considered an authority (e.g. not just "this is what works for me when I make them" or "my Laurel says..."). If anyone here has a contact with an armor expert, or is on a list or board that includes armor researchers with a strong grounding on period evidence, I would greatly appreciate your forwarding this query along. I will gladly take answers either by private e-mail or to this list. Thanks, Robin _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
