Gorget

c. 1560
Overall: 31.6 x 25.2 x 17.2 cm (12 7/16 x 9 15/16 x 6 3/4 in.)
Weight: 960 g (2.12 lbs.)
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Did You Know?

This gorget has a guild mark from Nuremburg, which functioned as a seal of quality.

Description

A gorget is an element of armor that protects the neck, throat, and upper part of the chest. It normally consists of two parts, front and back, joined by a hinge on the left shoulder and fastened with a stud on the right. Gradually the gorget grew smaller and more symbolic becoming a symbol of rank. By the 1700s it became a single crescent shape worn on a chain that suspended the gorget even lower on the chest, so that it no longer protected the throat in normal wear.
Gorget

Gorget

c. 1560

Germany, 16th century

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