The remarkably ornate 'Snails & Dragonflies' breastplate, with Assistant Curator Keith Dowen

Delve deep into our armour stores alongside Assistant Curator Keith Dowen who has pulled out one of our most ornately decorated objects for this week's episode.
This breastplate is covered in an array of humans, animals and creatures from another world.
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[@CanalTremocos]

Undefeated in battle, defeated by every penny lying on the floor.

[@trikepilot101]

A beautiful piece. I can't imagine why it was ever neglected, but I suppose it was in someone's attic or cellar and forgotten about.

[@jamois]

I can’t recall the last time I clicked play on a video and immediately exclaimed, “Oh, wow!” What an incredible piece of work

[@AnonYmousxxx69420xxx]

Thank you, Keith. Most enlightening. I would also suspect that the "pea-pod" armor would add further protection to a man who didn't actually press against the inside of the armor. It would allow a certain amount of void that could withstand a bash without actually hitting the man behind it.

[@alltat]

It can also help with deflecting incoming blows and projectiles. Even diverting some of the energy off to either side can make a big difference.

[@robinmarks4771]

Curious if there's a bulletproofing depression that I simply can't see because of the camera angle. Or was it perhaps proofed and then the bullet mark hammered out before the adornment was added? I'm curious because you refer to it as bulletproof, but it appears to lack the characteristic hemispherical dent that most proofed armors of the period have. Cheers!

[@oifocker]

Ebony armour from Skyrim, can't be the only nerd getting these vibes!

[@asintonic]

Loved this video Thank you. I thought bullet proof armour had a dent on the upper left chest area? Hence bulletproof?

[@samuelspratt9042]

Please do more of these with similar wonderful pieces that aren't on display.

[@MadMatt13]

Real shame that it's not on display. Lovely piece.

[@darinmullins4770]

Better the armour the better the ransom .

[@alltat]

Which is all the more reason to try to avoid killing the person wearing it. Another perk of investing in fancy armor.

[@darinmullins4770]

@@alltat insurance policy

[@johnladuke6475]

Better the ransom, bigger number of elite bodyguards at his side that you also have to incapacitate.

[@mycosys]

You did get one thing rather backwards. The raised bright metal parts are the parts that were NOT etched, the black background parts are rough and black from acid etch and too low to readily polish.

[@nothanks6988]

More Up in Arms when?

[@jeremiahsafford1389]

Were there any practical disadvantages to the peascod shape of the breastplate?

[@antoniojoaquin2425]

Possibly bending to the front might be blocked because of the belly part, but I may be wrong.

[@doug-Hakura]

Great video, what about the 2 holes, at least, in the neck piece?

[@molochi]

Wouldn't this breastplate choke the wearer if they tried to bend at the waist? Was the wearer not expected to engage in melee maybe?

[@gitfoad8032]

Side view might've been an idea.

[@bebo4374]

The camera work on all Royal Armory videos is terrible.

[@salty4496]

:)

[@chooseyouhandle]

Having a big gut was fashionable?

[@johanmilde]

Displaying that you are not a commoner - that you have something they don’t have, or that you don’t have to work like they do - has been quite common in upper class fashions at different times throughout history. So wearing clothes that accentuate your gut shows that you can afford food in quantities that the peasants can’t. These styles does change with the times, though - when the peasants all toil in the fields under the sun, the style might be for pale, unblemished skin, but when the workers work inside factories, the fashionable style might become showing off that you can afford to spend leisure time outdoors with a tan.

[@3Dant]

It's not a whole lot different to showing off all the expensive restaurants you go to on Instagram

[@johnladuke6475]

That's also why so many of the naked ladies in old paintings are significantly more round than is usually popular today. Having junk in the trunk was a sign that her father could afford to feed her, provide a good dowry, and make a profitable business partner. Nobody realizes that Sir Mix-A-Lot was actually a 16th century knight.

[@mycosys]

@@johanmilde funny how the centuries have changed HOW we use our bodies to show off a life of leisure, but not the classist way we do, the way we pretend it is the unchanging natural order of things is seemingly the one thing that doesnt change.