Silvered and engraved armour,
about 1515
What is it?
This silvered and engraved armour belonged to King Henry VIII and was decorated by Paul van Vrelant in Greewich, London. It is accompanied by elaborately engraved, Flemish-made horse armour.
Where is it from?
This armour was possibly one of the first works produced in Henry’s new workshop at Greenwich in about 1515; the horse armour was imported from Flanders, and the whole harness was decorated with engraving, silvering and originally gilding by a Flemish goldsmith, working for the King in London.
What does it tell us about its royal owner?
The decoration celebrates the marriage of Henry to Katherine of Aragon. This can be seen in the edge of the skirt which features intertwined initials of Henry and Katherine and the pattern of scrolling foliage with Tudor roses and pomegranates of Aragon all over the armour.
The wings of the poleyns bear the sheaf of arrows badge of King Ferdinand II of Aragon, Katherine’s’ father and the toecaps of the sabatons have the castle badge of Katherine’s mother, Queen Isabella of Castile.
The bard (horse armour) is decorated with scenes for the lives of Henry and Katherine’s patron saints, St George and St Barbara. The bard is stamped with the ‘M’ mark ascribed to Guille Margot, a Flemish armourer working in Brussels for the Habsburg monarchy.
Presentation armour, about 1610
What is it?
A diplomatic gift brought back from Japan by Captain John Saris of the East India Company in 1613, this armour is one of two
presented to King James I by Tokugawa Hidetada.
Where is it from?
Designed by Iwai Yozaemon of Nara in about 1610, this stunning piece was assembled by the personal armourer of Tokugawa Hidetada's father, Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Tokugawa Shogun.
Additional information
This armour has been displayed at the Tower from 1662 but was for centuries wrongly labelled as the ‘armour of the Great Mogul.’
Gilt armour, about 1612
What is it?
Gilt armour belonging to King Charles I. The surface is covered in gold leaf with engraved and punched foliage decoration. This is unusual as gilt decoration was normally fused to the surface of armour by the dangerous process of mercury-gilding.
Where is it from?
This unique example was created in the Netherlands in about 1612.
What does it tell us about its royal owner?
This spectacular armour was actually made for Henry, Prince of Wales, Charles I’s older brother, but on his death in 1612 Charles inherited Henry’s armour – and four years later his title.
Field and tournament armour, 1540:
What is it?
Of a type known as a garniture; a single armour with a set of alternate pieces that could be combined to create armours for use in a number of different tournament events. This garniture is unique in having a double set of all pieces.
Where is it from?
Constructed in 1540 this armour was made in Greenwich, London for one of the last tournaments that Henry VIII was known to have organised. This armour has one of only two known existing examples of a ventral plate. This is an inner breastplate that is worn under the principal breastplate to provide additional support. The etched and gilded decoration of the armour was designed by the king’s court artist, Hans Holbein.
What does it tell us about its royal owner?
Henry VIII was 49 when this armour was made. By then his fitness and health had declined. As can be observed in the great size of the garniture, Henry had put on a lot of weight in his later years. His poor physical condition meant that it was unlikely that he actually competed in this tournament.
