8 The History of the Spur 



masters of the fifteenth century, of the Crucifixion, and of the 

 Adoration of the Magi, and other biblical subjects, with 

 mounted figures introduced wearing the long, straight-necked 

 spurs that were so universally worn about the middle of the 

 fifteenth century. In rare cases the artist has attempted to 

 represent a spur of a bygone period, but usually without much 

 knowledge of the subject. For instance, on the great bronze 

 doors at the west end of St. Peter's at Rome, there is a 

 representation, in relief, on one of the lower panels, of the 

 martyrdom of St. Paul. The artist has introduced a figure 

 of a Roman soldier on horseback, looking on, who is wearing 

 prick spurs, having curved sides and straight necks, presumably 

 about four or five inches long. Here it is evident that the 

 artist had not the faintest idea what a Roman spur was like, 

 and so introduced a spur something like those of his own period, 

 but not so large or so elaborate. On another panel in the 

 same door there is a representation of a knight in full amour, 

 wearing the long, straight-necked spurs, fully nine inches long, 

 that were characteristic of the fifteenth century, and which were 

 common in England from a.d. 1450 to 1470. Here was evidently 

 the spur of the period at which the artist worked. And allowing 

 for the fashions in Italy to have been a few years in advance 

 of those in England, I judged the date of the doors to be from 

 1440 to 1450. I subsequently ascertained the date of the doors 

 to be 1445. 



The engravers of ancient brasses in our churches, although 

 they have in numerous instances conscientiously introduced the 

 spurs on mailed figures with a total disregard of perspective, 



