Armour (Class III) — 17th century
About this product
About this collection
Class III covers mail, lamellar, and plate armour distinct from the full harness tradition of Class II. This collection comprises 609 objects from the 17th century — the last period in which mail retained significant military use alongside plate components. The 57 ZIP assets cover chainmail hauberks, plate-and-mail composite pieces, and associated armour elements from English, Continental, and Eastern European traditions.
Why it matters
Mail armour persisted in military use far longer than popular imagination suggests — Eastern European cavalry, Ottoman forces, and even some Western European troops continued to use mail into the 17th century as a flexible and effective complement to plate. This collection documents that survival of an ancient technology at the moment of its final eclipse.
Use cases & time to value
- Historical production design: Reference for mail and composite armour in period-specific film, game, and theatrical productions
- Arms and armour scholarship: Study of mail and plate construction techniques, period transitions, and regional traditions
- AI training for historical objects: Labelled mail and armour dataset spanning multiple centuries
- Museum interpretation: High-quality imagery for medieval and Renaissance gallery programmes
- Heritage research and publishing: Licensed imagery for books, journals, and exhibitions on armour history
Data schema
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| object_number | string | Royal Armouries catalogue number (III. prefix + sequence) |
| object_name | string | Standardised object type name as catalogued |
| class | string | III (Armour — Mail, Lamellar & Plate) |
| period | string | 17th century |
| image_filename | string | Original filename as catalogued |
| image_format | string | tif, jpg, or bmp |
| width_px | integer | Image width in pixels |
| height_px | integer | Image height in pixels |
| file_size_bytes | integer | Uncompressed file size in bytes |
Collection stats
57 assets · 609 objects · 1665 images · 17th century
Assets (0)
No assets found