héaume, having a transverse ocularium, or æilliére, and a longitudinal rib by which it is strengthened, forming a cross on the face of this singular head-piece. This kind of helm is of rare occurrence in monumental sculpture; examples are supplied by a cross-legged effigy at Whitworth, Durham, and another at Walcheren, near Stevenage, Herts.[1] It occurs in the sculptures on the west front of Wells cathedral, erected by Bishop Joceline, about A.D. 1225, and amongst the curious sculptures of the mural arcade at Worcester, in the south aisles of the choir, built early in the same century. The heaume which appears on the great seals of Henry III. and Edward I. is of similar cylindrical form, but the lower portion protecting the face is barred. The mailed armour of the chess-knight is represented in the conventional mode usually employed in the earlier sepulchral effigies, by parallel rows of rings set in alternate directions; the surcoat is long, forming large folds, and some appearances of mixed armour, either of gamboised work, or jacked leather, may be traced upon the legs[2].
Chessman, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.
- ↑ A good representation of this has been given by the late talented artist, Mr. Hollis, in his Monumental Effigies.
- ↑ One of the knights, brandishing a sword, seems to have a genouilliére formed of a rigid material, the thigh being protected by some defence formed in longitudinal ribs, possibly of quilted work. Compare the effigy of Robert de Vere, 1221, Hatfield Broad Oak, Essex, and the figure at Whitworth, both given by Stothard.
