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Fancy Foliage 

Detail of left tasset of a three-quarter field armour, about 1595-1600, II.360. Royal Armouries, CC BY 4.0

Left tasset of a three-quarter field armour (II.360 I)

Tassets are the armour worn to protect the thighs. The left tasset you can see here is part of a beautifully decorated three-quarter field armour which belonged to Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton. It was made around 1595-1600 and the whole surface is decorated by processes called etching and gilding.

View the Three-Quarter Field Armour in our collection

Up Close: The Three Quarter Field Armour with Eleanor Wilkinson Keys