Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago

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To understand armor both as a military technology and as an art object, it is essential to notice the intricacies of its shape. How do features like thickness and curvature inform both the form and function of the piece?

Wade Allen, collector, student, and maker of armor for over 30 years, walks us through examples from his personal collection to point out the aesthetic and functional details of historical Western European breastplates and backplates.

*VIDEO CONTENTS*
00:00 - Intro
02:28 - Breastplate circa 1500
03:59 - Measuring Thickness
04:50 - Breastplate circa 1495
06:44 - Breastplate circa 1540
07:55 - Measuring Thickness
10:24 - Breastplate circa 1550
11:32 - How Breastplates Fit with the Backplate
13:04 - Backplate
16:00 - Q&A

*WADE’S WEBSITE: ALLEN ANTIQUES*
european-armour.com/allenIndex.html

*SUPPORT THE CHANNEL*
ko-fi.com/loricaclothing

#armor #history #metalworking