62 AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 
A curious dagger and pistol 
combined 
sired became a part of his collection. 
for their beauty and or- 
nament, and for the in- 
genious devices that 
insure the attainment of 
their fatal purpose. The 
early firearms attracted 
much attention, especially 
those in which the mech- 
anism of the old-time 
wheel-lock is visible. Pro- 
totypes crude and curious 
are here displayed of our 
modern rifle and double- 
barreled gun. 
The finest specimen in 
the Dino collection, 
so far as weapons are 
concerned, and, indeed, 
the finest specimen of its 
kind in the world, is a 
sword fashioned during 
the reign of Francis I. 
The hilt is wound with 
braided gold wire of ex- 
treme fineness and ends 
in the bust of a woman, 
the modeling and carving 
of which are perfect. 
Similar busts terminate 
the cross-bar, and a coiled 
serpent guards the end. 
Wherever one turns in 
viewing this wonderful 
collection, one is struck 
by the marvelous wealth 
of it, no less than by the 
enthusiasm and erudition 
which the Duc de Dino 
must have possessed. It 
is not that he has here 
and there succeeded in 
obtaining some unique 
example of an interesting 
period; it would seem 
rather that whatever was 
priceless and to be de- 
The representative 
object of any period is not merely a contemporary specimen; 
it is rather the one thing of its kind which is the most perfect, 
or to which romance or history most closely attaches. Moving 
from case to case of the collection, one can not help noting 
how fashion changed in these steel garments, even as it does 
in ordinary dress to-day. The earliest suits show shoes ending 
in a cruel spike, with other spikes 
projecting from the arm pieces. 
A swift thrust from a foot or 
elbow thus armed was likely to 
leave an indelible mark. Later 
the square-toed shoe, supple and 
flexible, by reason of its many 
plates, came into favor. It is to 
be seen in the royal suit of Philip 
II of Spain, of bloody memory 
in England and the Netherlands. 
Over the heart is the cross of 
Calatrava and d’Alcantara. It 
is hard to reconcile the meaning 
of this symbol with the ruthless 
persecution its wearer instituted 
in the Protestant lands he 
sought to conquer. A large portion of this 
‘richly decorated suit, as stated by Baron 
de Cosson, formed a part of the collection 
of the Madrid Armeria Real. From this 
armory nine pieces of this suit were ab- 
stracted in 1839. The backplate, the 
breastplate (with its dependent pieces), 
footplate, and the defense of one forearm 
are added from a similar suit. The latter 
pieces formed part of the harness of which 
parts are still preserved in the Madrid Ar- 
meria, which appears to have belonged to a 
member of the family of d’Onata. ‘The 
suit was made in Germany about 1554. 
Still another suit belonging to Philip II 
is also displayed. Philip IV was painted 
in this armor by Titian. A century later 
Rubens used it, and likewise Velasquez in 
his portrait of Count Benavente, now in 
the Prado Gallery in Madrid. This armor 
was fashioned by a German artist about 
1550. [The numerous pieces of richly 
decorated armor in the particular case con- 
taining the suit and in a neighboring case 
formed a complete panoply of which the 
parts could be changed according to the 
needs of its wearer. In the specimen illus- 
trated, the tournament plates that reinforce 
the armor of the shoulder and face are 
added. The suit was probably made by 
Colman of Augsburg. The sword hilt in 
the left hand of the armor is of Spanish 
make, and dates from the middle of the six- 
teenth century. It is the work of Sohagun 
el Viejo of Toledo, the swordsmith of 
Philip II. 
A very rare specimen is a florid and 
flamboyant suit with its grotesque visor 
mask. The puffing and slashing of the 
court dress of the day (1530) is imitated 
in the metal, and the anatomical lines are 
followed with admirable fidelity, even to 
the instep and gauntlet. Every vulnerable 
point is guarded; yet nowhere is the move- 
ment of the joint or muscle hampered in 
the slightest degree. The lightness of the 
February, 1909 
A sword of 
Aben Achmet 
plates indicates that the armor was designed for occasions 
of ceremony. 
The human face visor is rare. 
Baron de 
Cosson finds evidence regarding this armor (one of the most 
valuable of the collection) as having been a gift of the 
Emperor Maximilien to one of the dignitaries of his court. 
The left hand of the armor holds a Spanish sword made 
during the sixteenth century. 
The helmet of Henri II, seen from both sides. Its rich ornamentation pictures the heroic deeds of Hercules 
