Armour was extraordinarily expensive for nobles, who were glad to have a personally designed suit of armour. However, knights also were in an elite social order where ostentatiousness was rewarded. One way to accomplish this and gain attention was through decorated armour. This set of gauntlets comes with etched designs meant to make the wearer stand out in a flush of pomp and fashion. Decorative gauntlet, etched finish, 14.5" long Historically, gauntlets were an important piece of armour, since the hands and arms were particularly vulnerable in hand-to-hand combat. With the rise of easily-reloadable firearms, hand-to-hand combat became less common and so gauntlets lost most of their strategic value. |
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