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Detail of left pauldron, from the lion armour, about 1550, II.89 G. Royal Armouries, CC BY 4.0
Left pauldron from the lion armour, 1550 (II.89 G)
A pauldron is a piece of armour designed to protect the shoulder. This one belongs to the 'Lion Armour' (II.89), a fearsome example of armour-decorating techniques. The pauldron is designed so that the wearer's arm extends out of the lion's open mouth and the lion's face is incredibly detailed. Whilst beautifully decorated, this is a fully-functioning armour and some of the pieces bear marks to suggest it may have been used on the battle or the tournament field.