Waistcoat Cuirass

During the last quarter of the sixteenth century, infantry and naval officers began to wear artfully designed cuirasses (breast and backplates) that hinged open with a front seam that mimicked the doublet or waistcoat. This German example retains a black varnish finish with a deep peasecod (peapod-like) belly, which was in style in the 1580s. On the proper left side of the belly is a dent from a bullet shot by the armorer to show that it was indeed “bulletproof” and battle ready. Despite its fashionable appeal, the front seam did weaken the cuirass, and soon after 1600 the fashion vanished.