18th Century Italian Wrought Iron Horse Armor Mask

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Authentic horse armour face mask or chanfron, dated circa late 18th-early mid-19th century from Northern Italy in wrought iron. During … Read more Authentic horse armour face mask or chanfron, dated circa late 18th-early mid-19th century from Northern Italy in wrought iron. During the late Middle Ages as armour protection for knights became more effective, their mounts became targets so that barding, or body armour for war horses, especially as used by European knights, developed as a response to such events. The chanfron (also spelled chaffron, champion, chamfron, chamfrein, champron, and shaffron) was designed to protect the horse's face. The chanfron was known as early as ancient Greece, but vanished from use in Europe until the twelfth century when metal plates replaced boiled leather as protection for war horses. A chanfron extended from the horse's ears to its muzzle. Flanges often covered the eyes. In an open chanfron, the eyes received no protection. Hinged extensions to cover the jowls were commonly used for jousting tournaments. This chamfron is probably more a parade, decorative mask used during cerimonials rather than a war armour. See less