16th century round shield

[Marcus den toom]

Another beautiful item which landed into my collection. A 16th century shield, German or Italian i think judging by the style.
A rondal spike in the middle with a spiral motive running from top to bottom, with leaves at the base. Spiraling pattern shield with a reinforced rim.
All lovely words, but to be honest i have no deeper clue as to its origin or style. Any help is once again appreciated.

It would also be most helpful to get good source material on original handle or leather straps that used to be on the inside. I did find some examples but would be very interested to know how these would generally have looked like. And maybe, if it will prove not to intrusive i might get it restored so that it can be mounted with a complete armour. But that is a story for another time and a work in progress

[Marcus den toom]

Some more sources of similar shields

[Marcus den toom]

Another

[Lee]

A most attractive fluted shield. The design reminds me of linenfold paneling.

I'll add my own solitary shield of this sort - strictly munitions grade - really heavy and with what the seller described as a bullet-made test dent. 56 cm. diameter; 3.5 cm spike.

[Marcus den toom]

Thank you Lee for your input and showing your own shield. It follows the same build for the leather straps as my own shield too, with the spacing of the two pairs of fastening points/rivets being offset from one another. This allows for one larger leather strap with, most likely a belt buckle like the one shown in post 2.

[Triarii]

Some useful pictures. I've recreated the strap arrangement from the Dutch print on my reproduction rotella, which gets used for reenactments.
Forgot to say, when this was discussed in another forum, some photos were posted of surviving examples that suggested that the red edging in the second painting was fringing.

[Lee]

I strongly suspect that the shoulder strap shown in Triarii's upper image would have been absolutely obligatory for carrying my example. Unfortunately, other than the rivets, nothing of the suspension has survived.

Here is another example of a top end example of these shields at the Met: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/27247

[Lee]

My curiosity finally overcame fears of the hassle of taking my shield down from where it has hung undisturbed for at least a decade. It weighs 15.2 pounds (6.9 kg). I found marks, pictured below, that I interpret as being for Nuremberg. A layer of iron has fully delaminated in one of the images of the back. As I said on my first post: munitions grade.
https://european-armour.com/Marks.html

[Marcus den toom]

That looks great Lee!!! The Nuremberg marks look like those of 1570s firearms.
Would you know what kind of "troops" would be equiped with such shields?

The shoulderstrap would help alot with carrying a heavy shield. It would be interesting to see how it will affect the way you can move thr shield around.
I think my shield would lack such a strap, i will try to weigh my shield but would estimate 5 kilos.

[Triarii]

I wonder if the use for the heavy one is for some form of bodyguard - like the ones Henry VIII of England had made, though some had pistols in them.

On the shoulder strap, for marching about you can hang it under your arm.
I've not found it an issue in a series of reenactment battles as a rodelero.

This month my HEMA club has been running another block of rotella and sidesword training and sparring, and the strap is not a problem in using it (the rotella is usually advanced forward at an angle to the body, with occasional lifts up and to the right towards the opponents sword if you're going for a leg cut). Very practical.

You definitely need the adjustment for the forearm strap as wearing armour makes a real difference.

[Triarii]

Originally Posted by Marcus den toom

Another

I forgot to ask - is the whole of the inside of the shield padded? Seems to be leather lined with some padding at the top.

[Lee]

My heavy ("shot proof") example is not lined, at least in its present state. While the pictures of the reverse may suggest leather, this is hard partially delaminated iron, confirmed to be such with a magnet.

Thank you for your insights into how it would have been carried.

[Victrix]

I bought this book for Christmas. I have not read it yet but it looks promising. In case you are interested in bucklers and shields. Not sure how I rotate the pics…