I share this image from the excellent Dimicator page. It is a rare glimpse of the configuration of enarmes (straps for the arm on a shield). We see several variations in art but this looks very workable, with a strap round the upper arm and another round the forearm – leaving the hand and wrist free and mobile to manage the reins. Combined with the weight-supporting guige (neck strap) this is a good set-up for riding. I agree with Dimicator that the green section just in front of the hand is likely to represent a hand-grasp strap for use when on foot. In order to hold this green strap, it would be necessary for the forearm to be angled upwards at around 45 degrees. This is a good position for using the shield on foot but it is impossible to present the shield correctly and hold the reins at the same time with this angle. By just using the two brown enarmes the rider can hold the reins and present the shield at an appropriate angle when on horseback. I realize this post will draw the usual comments about medieval art not being reliable and that the artist got it all wrong. Clearly there is an optical distortion here but whether that was from the artist’s inability or whether it was, for some reason, his intention to show the inner face of the shield is hard to say. I would not rule out the possibility that the shield is deliberately being shown this way by the artist. The rider is attacking the dragon with his spear across the horse’s neck – he has brought his shield arm back and down, allowing the lance to pass across the face of the shield. The alternative would be to lift the shield out and up but this would pull on the horse’s mouth in the wrong way. The artist may have slightly failed to get this tricky perspective exactly right but it is not bad if you consider what he is trying to portray and the rest of the image is very well drawn. The spikes on the horseshoes are called calkins and were fairly universal on medieval horseshoes. They give better traction on soft ground and muddy roads.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 17:33:31 +0000
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