Milanese Armour from the Back.
The design for these vambraces (arms) was extrapolated from many different antique sets but the majority of influence came from several in the Kienbusch Collection at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. I decided to put the hinges on the outer side of the vambrace and the buckle to the inside, opposite to the originals. I find that this arrangement makes it easier for someone to put them on or take off by them self.
The picture above shows the inside of the arm. Note that the vambrace is attached to the articulating lames at the elbow by means of three (only two can be seen in the photo) sliding rivets. This allows the vambrace to rotate with the wearer's wrist. This honestly doesn't seem to be necessary, but it is the way many originals were built. I point this out because a common misconception is that the armourers of the past were crude in there craft. This was not so. Armour was built to be free moving and comfortable. The makers of armour in antiquity appear to have taken great pride in their craft, producing a defence for their customers as well as an individualized work of art.
