The MET's Arms and Armor Department: www.metmuseum.org/about-the-met/collection-areas/arms-and-armor Join this channel to support Tested and get access to perks: ua-cam.com/channels/iDJtJKMICpb9B1qf7qjEOA.htmljoin
Imagine the pride those blacksmiths would have if they knew that an odd 500+ years later there work would still be admired and survived all this time due to there quality of craftsmanship
imagine picking a fight with a blacksmith back then... i heard that the blacksmiths were bouncers back in the day here in denmark idk if its true but they were also dentists and whats not so i would not be surprised a blacksmith would be strong AF i worked with metal and used hammers... but these guys did it all day long they used hammers for welding etc... we dont do that anymore haha its still tough work but man nothing compared to those guys...
@@Kado1609 Can confirm. I use mallets and short sledges to train my forearms and wrists. Time under tension is one of the prevalent bodybuilding techniques and they were swinging those hammers all day. You can safely bet those blacksmiths had arms, shoulders, and a grip that you didn't want to test.
@@Senick i know i know ive been using hammers alot at work... i worked in a metal workplace or in a place where we work with metals all the time im no stranger to hammers no matter the size but usually its just a blacksmithing hammer i use... but that said theres a difference between using a hammer now and then... or using a hammer 16 hours a day like they did back in the day not even you and me can imagine that they were next level tough back then without machines etc...
I'm a qualified blacksmith. During my training (UK - industrial) my instructor made a full suit of armour. As a trainee I helped him make that suit.(as well as other items) Despite me working with metal for 4 decades since my training, there's absolutely no way I could ever reach the skill levels required for making such a suit. For me, I see such items as seen in this video and can work out their construction and the various stages of manufacture but to actually do it is on a seriously high skill level. The objects shown here are in good hands and being shown to others - that can't be a bad thing :)
@@Rickygrines I'd say born into a family of blacksmith's where knowledge has been collected and passed down through generations and the children start learning from a very young age.
What you say applies to any craft. Very few, no matte how much they train, can paint like Rembrandt, or outdo Elon Musk in business, Einstein in Physics. Those gauntlets are expressions of virtuosity.
I'm fairly certain I've seen/heard Tobias Capwell explain at some point that the large armour workshops in the late medieval/early renaissance era would often have specialists for important and difficult parts of the armour. There might be a guy and his crew who just worked on gauntlets all day, there might be a helmet specialist, perhaps they had a smith specializing in sabatons. And of course for the polishing and decorations the whole thing would be sent off to yet another set of specialists, so by the time the duke or baron received their new custom made and lavishly decorated suit of armour, it may have had dozens of people and several specialists involved in its creation. Certainly puts in perspective how much of a comprehensive business it was back in the day, and all the very high level craftsmanship bouncing around in a renowned armour workshop.
It’s much much easier to construct armor like this today but yet I still Couldn’t do it. Been smithing for years and I would run into problems consistently. Ending up with a piece that’s not very functional and ugly. Armors of the past where very very talented and highly trained without doubt.
No idea how many videos you guys got to film with Arms and Armor Department but hopefully it's a ton because I'm absolutely loving them so far. So much incredible knowledge that these guys have to share. It's amazing to see such historical knowledge being shared in such a new medium.
@Chris I could also! My grandpa used to make saddles and I know a thing or two about tanning hides. Lifetime work and the first 10 years is just learning to use the tools.👍
Adam's unabashed enthusiasm, wonder, and curiosity for everything is 85% of the reason I love these videos, and how I aspire to approach life! Keep it going!
@@lemcakes32422imagine for a second : You are an everyday middle age serf. Out of nowhere, your lord commands you to stop growing buckweat and to go hold a pike in the king's army for some war about God knows what. The long walks and the lack of fresh food already made things pretty hard for you since, but the day of the battle, the shit hits the fan real bad! You see a f***ing cavalery in full heavy armor charging you. Beside the fact that you don't know shit about how to fight, all you have for a weapon is a big pointy stick and the biggest kitchen knife you can get your hands on. You close your eyes, praying for the less painful death possible. I bet it is the closer you can get of holding a rifle in the desert and to see a jet fighter starting dropping missiles and knowing you are the target. Lesson of the story: Make love, not war 😉✌️
What a personable character Ted is. There is nothing better than hearing someone speak about a subject they are clearly very passionate and knowledgeable about. Thoroughly enjoyable, thanks again Tested.
@@rhodriwilliams1014 I actually did not know that I always thought it was for Theodore, but that makes sense given how few people are names Theodore nowadays.
@@jacobbecklehimer7781 Ted is short for Edward also. Dick is short for Richard, Peggy is short for Margaret. Hank is short for Henry, Jack is short for John. Names are weird like that.
I think videos like this are amazing. Taking modern crafts people and allowing them to first hand experience the craft work of masters in the past gives such a great perspective to us. There's so much passion and knowledge in the curation of these and people like Adam are the perfect audience to bring us along on the ride.
@@LeafBoye Museum curators can know diddly-squat about the object they curate, and are often responsible for hiding artifacts from the public eye that *they* deem shouldn't be seen. Ian McCollum has a few good discussions about it on Forgotten Weapons including one or two with an *actual* curator.
My jaw dropped when I seen the quality of these, how! all the individual hammer strikes on that first one and how smooth it looks with hidden rivets. They were truly master smiths
They were trained from a young age by their fathers who were also trained from a young age by their fathers. And so on and so on. They did this their whole life.
@@TechnoMinarchist people are just so helpless nowadays and too busy being entertained by media that they couldn't fathom spending any amount of time on a project and are completely baffled by people's experience aquired skill that is still very achievable.
@@lassaut6794 This isn't something achievable by just putting in some "effort". That's why these are being shown. These are things created by an immense amount of skill, training, knowledge, experience and time. That's why these gauntlets are baffling. If people could create things like this with just some time and effort the world would be very different. Even others in the comments have stated they've spent decades in this trade and couldn't create something on this level. Like I get the whole "nobody puts effort into things these days" and agree. But this video and original comment has nothing to do with that. It's about the mastery from people who eat, sleep and breathe these "projects" and how amazing it is.
I am so impressed by the craftsmanship. These items are from hundreds of years ago and they used the same techniques I use in my lesther working. Rivets and strap rings and overlapping layers or protected flexing. Then you add in Adam's wonderful excitement for things and I feel that so much!
Adam, thank you for being as unabashedly excited with this experience as many of us would be. Great video as always! I've seen the Met's Arms and Armor exhibit many times and am always amazed. My cousin does similar work in classic art at the National Gallery of Art in DC. She showed me the back rooms and processes in the same way you experienced it. Being within inches of an original Monet and watching the restoration process is something I'll never forget.
I've seen countless armor suits on display in museum and castles but getting these gauntless explained and shown up close was really special. Also I had no idea a design exists that locks your sword inside the gauntlet so you can't drop it, that's ingenious! While it obviously is very important to not drop your sword on the battlefield a blow to your sword that would have smashed it out of your hand but now can't since the sword is locked in place would probably also put a lot of stress on your wrist and elbow. But it makes sense to rather feel some pain in the aftermath then to lose your head while trying to pick up your dropped sword. Amazing designs, thanks for showing those!
Another downside of the locking mechanism is that it impedes your ability to grapple, which could be a problem if your enemy gets up close and personal. Grappling played a huge part in plate armor combat and its importance is often overlooked in modern depictions.
To be very honest, that looks like a jousting gauntlet to me. It'd have made a lot more sense in that setting, too, because dropping a lance was seen as a major faux pas. On the actual battlefield you never want to be glued to a single a weapon - what if your sword/poleaxe/mace/whatever breaks or is damaged beyond functionality? What if you need to change weapons, climb a ladder, mount a horse, row a boat, you catch my drift?
Thanks to the Met for sharing their collection and to Adam for making the effort to see it. Museums have amazing collections and while we can see some of it on display, we can’t really understand how it’s made or used without these types of explanations. Terrific video all around!
As much as I can appreciate the collection the Met boasts I refuse to believe that even half of the artifacts belong there - America is a fledgling country, I do not understand why it possesses so much art from all around the world, that pre dates the US itself While I understand most museums have a controversial side to how they came by their collections, it really stands out to me here - all of these gauntlets should be in European museums
Simple answer: Marketing and also not everyone can make a trip to Europe. There is also the chance they just don't have the storage so they send it to other countries to experience another culture of either, past or present
@@rambo-cambo3581 I agree but people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. Europe will get their artifacts back when they return all the artifacts they pillaged from around the world over centuries of colonization. To this day, many European museums fight tooth and nail to keep their stolen collections against the wishes of their countries of origin.
The only place I had ever seen a "locking gauntlet" before today was in the Player's Handbook of D&D 3.5, and I thought they just made it up! I am beyond staggered to learn that such a thing actually existed!
What AD&D doesn't tell you is how much of a PITA it is getting into and out of full plate harness. Brigantine is a lot more comfortable and clothing-like, though it's no feather bed to dungeon-nap in on those long adventures (use your gambeson).
His genuine giddiness is one of his most endearing qualities. I remember an episode when a very talented gal made prop gauntlets for Adam and I envy her for that experience making him soo happy
i watched this in absolute awe with my mouth open. after playing so many games with such armors all around i've never seen a real armor with this much detail. glad this was recommended to me, freaking awesome!
Awesome episode. Would love to see more artifacts from the MET with Adam. Love his inquisitive mind to ask questions most of us don't notice. Great video
As an artist who loves armors, im absolutely in love with these videos as theres not a lot of them out there going in depth, hopefully theres more to come, thanks Adam!!
Super interesting! As a practitioner of the 14th century Italian manuals, I'm really partial to the transitional period of gauntlets. That 16th century Italian one was gorgeous!
Many years ago, an exhibition of Austrian armour (from Styria) opened in San Francisco. The formal reception featured an introduction by a famous born-in-Styria Austrian. Yeah - it was Arnold and yes, he came in formal attire and had to wear gloves when handling some of the pieces.
As a blacksmith aspiring be an armorsmith as well this was incredibly informative and entertaining to watch. Thanks tested and especially you adam for ispiring me throughout my life! Love you brother and hope you have a great one!
The locking gauntlet is simply amazing, it shows its art in the function and form ra ther than its "paint job" like the gilded one. Both are fabulous ways of show craftsmanship
There's also an interesting contrast between Italy and Germany in terms of form and function. Both Italian gauntlets have the individual fingers, looks very fancy, and I imagine it feels less restrictive to wear, too. Then all the German gauntlets are a relatively simpler mitten style, but I imagine that is more protective, and the last one has the additional safeguards to keep from dropping your sword.
Armor bashers have found it's actually trickier to get fit and function exactly right with fewer plates in the gaunt than many -- the joints help. Plate gauntlets are also maintenance heavy -- even more than the rest of plate harness, which is like a part time daily job. You consume the inner gloves 🧤 at a great rate; you have to think of even the nice gloves as expendable. But also don't cheap out on the gloves, because the cheapest cheapies fit poorly, impair your grip, and wear holes in you, ouch. I recommend drovers' gloves. And expect to sew them into the gauntlets' tabs and edges, rather than try and strap the gauntlets on.
Thanks for this! I do Renaissance faire for a living, and I started as an antler Carver jeweler, then began chasing and repousse in silver, then raising copper cups, then hammering bronze sheet shields, and am considering getting into bronze armor. This is so informative. You just don't get this from books or static images. Thank you, Adam. You rock!
This is so absolutely amazing to see! I have dabbled in blacksmithing, and even the tiny bit I have done has given me a great respect for the craftsmen that make this kind of thing. Thank you so much for showing this kind of up close and detailed explanation. I look forward to seeing more! I would absolutely love to get some of the technical background to some of these kinds of pieces, like, what their cost was (either in today's equivalent, or relative to other items of the era), and the number of people and hours it took to make an item, or a full suit.
In 1620 a normal Craftsman earned around 10-20 Pound a Year in England, when Prince Henry of Wale's bought his famous Greenwich Armor, he paid 200 Pound. This in today's Money would cost anywhere betweeen 240 and 350.000 Pound. by the way, if you haven't seen the Greenwich Armor: ua-cam.com/video/moDnza87ZTA/v-deo.htmlsi=CL_U03jAZvx5kBlu that is far more than impressive
Fantastic video tour of these amazing gauntlets with Mr Hunter, a real expert who obviously loves the items he takes care of. Good to hear a shout out for the Wallace Collection too
Loving this series from the Met! I took my son to The Tower of London and The Wallace collection over the half term holiday. Sadly the main armour collection room at The Wallace were closed for refurbishment, but I'm hoping this means new displays in the near future! Oh, and as to the comments about the scary mannequins - We had a 4' tall Play Mobil shop display doll stored in our spare room. We were clearing out stuff this weekend, so it is now outside our back door, and EVERY TIME I see it it scares the bejeezus out of me!
I got to visit the met for the first time last year and see the armor collection in person. It was mind blowing but you don't have the same context you get from a video like this. Thank you for putting this together so we can see more detail and learn from the craftsman that get to maintain these amazing pieces.
Indeed, makes a mockery of cultural, as well as technological, relativism. When the Europeans constructed fantastic armour; and breathtaking castles and cathedrals; other cultures managed maybe a hut made from mud. Melting pot my ass…
Many cultures were just as advanced as Europe at the same time, Medieval China, Japan, and Arabia spring to mind. As well as northern Africa with the Moors. Every culture has beauty, every culture has something to offer. @@lequelle2580
I loove those armour drooling videos. I recommend a visit in Germany at Eysenkleider in Langenzenn/Bavaria. An expert armourer is located there. After that, go a little further to the North and have a look at what Arne Koets is doing. There he can see the only real complete horse barding on a living horse I know of. Oh, and Mr. Koets wears a suit to go with, of course. Really a sight to behold.
These are some of my favorite videos. As someone who has loved knights for many years and the whole idea behind them I would be just as much of a "kid in a candy store" as Adam here.
Adam, if your interested in suits of medieval and renaissance armour, then you NEED to visit the Wallace Collection in London, and specifically meet Toby Capwell, the Curator of Arms and Armour there, and an expert on all things in the field of period medieval armour. I am certain it would be a most momentous occasion. :)
He should go to Burg Eltz in Germany. There are some beautiful Armors and Weapons. The whole castle is like in olden times and it still belongs to the original aristocratic family (for 33 generations).
The articulation of the gauntlets are superb. The leather worker would also had to be talented to fit snugly to hand and gauntlet. Great set of vlogs. Loving this series👍👍👍👍👍🇬🇧
This channel is among the very best on all of youtube, at least for my viewing eye. Such fascinating things that you wouldn't likely hear such detail and love concerning anywhere else.
At first I thought the first one doesn’t look that impressive, but then I realized they made such a smooth surface with just their medieval tools. Mind blowing.
Boy, if I had a nickel for every time I heard someone say.... "So, I got looking around my Gauntlet drawers...." LOL.... that's a classic line ! Wow. I love posts like this, where I think going into this... "not my kind of thing, and probably not very interesting.. but we'll see...." And now I've watched this twice!! Amazing craftsmanship in these pieces. I can't believe how "fluid" the movement is in these... and how much work, design, planning, and then rework and refining that was done to get them to move that fluid. Just incredible !! Makes me think of basically designing a functioning snakeskin for a person to wear. And the thumbnail impressions on them as well. I have to say I do like that flared cuff one the best, as far as looks would go. Great post. This got me wondering why I had not subscribed to your channel before. Immediately corrected that mistake ! Thanks again for sharing this. And much respect to Ted Hunter & staff for such care and preservation work that they've done. Clearly it's not just a job but a passion for them. Job well done!
The flaring cuff is also a datable feature -- 16th century onward. 15th c. cuffs were more nearly conforming to the forearm, and with a little articulation about the wrist. The trumpet-end ones could do away with that, and give good wrist protection.
Absolutely amazing. I love the technical details - and I half expected Adam to try them on! I wonder how easy it would be to make a good working reproduction of these pieces.
This video is another reminder that people in the past were just as intelligent as people today, just having different technology. It's easy to automatically have a prejudice of people in the past, just because our technology is more advanced.
Hi! I've practiced, studied, competed, and taught Italian rapier for coming up on 10 years. The duelling gauntlet is so cool! It makes a ton of sense! One thing to add to that conversation, grabbing your opponents blade with your hand is a huge part of rapier fencing, even without protective armor! There are 2 reasons for this. 1) the way blades work, contact alone doesn't cut, there has to be pressure, and a drawing/cutting motion really helps. This is why you can walk your hand with a bitter knife and it doesn't hurt you, but that same knife can cut through meat when you eat it. 2) Even though you are risking getting your hand cut by using it actively, it's likely protecting much more important parts of your body.
Well...we do? Theyre german? They wrote up EVERYTHING....if you want to read up on the man every lord of the rings dwarven smith tries to impersonate...read up on ULFBERT. The best smith of his time. Nobels would literally come thousands of kilometers to get a sword from this man. It was a right of passage for kings and emporors.
I'm so happy you make kickass content like this. I couldn't stop looking at that duct sealant on the branch box over your head. It was bumming me out haha
thank you for posting history related stuff. I'd have held my breath the entire time. it's strange to think there ever existed a time where that was a normal sort of thing to purchase.
You can see there the early mindset of modern days car and machine production too. The Italian gauntlets are very filigree and fancy in design. The German gauntlets are more simple in structure but still functional and sophisticated. It might be depend on the main purpose as well but the resemblance to constructions from today is there.^^
I think people in medieval times were just cut from a totally different cloth. When I saw the mounted Knight on a fully armored horse at the Royal Armouries in Leeds it really brought home how insane those foot solders facing that must have been. The mounted Knight & armoured horse looked like a bloody tank, those facing a charge from them must have been terrified.
@@joen4088 OK, Mr Pedantic. Did I mention the 16th century? No, I mentioned Medieval because I was referring to medieval times, if I meant 16th century I would have said 16th century 😒. I know the pieces in the video are 16th century but knights were around in medieval times. Look, just to keep you happy, does this sound better "I think people in the early modern European period were just cut from a totally different cloth". Now go and find something more useful to do than making pointless, Pedantic comments. 🙄
Wish I had an influence like you when I was growing up. You do the coolest work, and love what you do. Keep-on-keeping-on brother, thank you for the many years of your time you've shared with us already, you deserve every bit of happiness the world has to offer. You've stayed true to your dreams inspiring countless others to do the same.
Yes. But that is (one reason) why nobles were invented---to have people who, by collecting taxes, had the money to buy this stuff and provide the service of protecting the country. And by making the position hereditary, they also were able to provide training to their sons who would take over their position.
Love this. I saw your henchman armor thing and while it certainly looks cool as just a thing on it's own, my inner medieval nerd was like "Yeah, but it's really not how medieval armor looked like at all". So it's great that you also shine a light on the real stuff, well a bit post-medieval in this case, but still real historical armor from a time where people wore armor. Even the time where armor technology really reached it's height despite firearms existing.
That last one I would argue would be a jousting gauntlet, not a fencing one. Fighting with your grip locked like that would suck. However locking your lance in place during a jousting tournament makes far more sense. They don't need the high level of dexterity and aren't expected to grapple or switch weapons during jousting like they might in combat
I never knew I wanted to watch this. Those are amazing! The ingenuity and attention to detail is impressive. And they are works of art. Wow. Thank you UA-cam.
This was fantastic! I just came here from Adam getting to touch, and heft, period swords. It’s refreshing to see someone that enthused about period tech. Ok, now off to find more of this “Tested” stuff….
I took a chainmail demonstration class a couple of years ago, it was so good to see how it was made! We had this square steel box about 3inch with a hole in it and cranck (cylinder shaped) and you wound the long steel rods like old square nails they were but wound them round the pole to form a spring and then chiselled each individual link off by hand, overlayed the open gap that was left and with like a Nail punch you wound punch the 2 ends into eachother to make a complete link! It took all day to make the palm of a glove so i have alot respect for such hand done quality it must have took a good week or 2 to complete a pair!
Love Adam, Love the topic. Some close up still shots of the gauntlets under good lighting would have been nice, to really be able to appreciate and observe the fine detail on them. The wide shots and constant moving make it hard to see the intricacy of the work. Thanks guys
Wonderful to think that 500 years or so later people are still gazing upon them appreciating the craftsmanship involved in making such beautiful things
Thank you, Adam. Instead of sleeping I was photoshopping a concept art for my new medievel story because of you. Wonderful video, can't wait to see more!
I found it interesting that the guy told Adam "They needed a "Armourer" with them in the field! In The British Army today they also have "Armourers" they are the guys that repair and maintain the guns.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
The MET's Arms and Armor Department: www.metmuseum.org/about-the-met/collection-areas/arms-and-armor
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Adam you should build a real Thanos gauntlet from marvel movies from scratch .
@@chrism7777 Adam should make an Infinity Gauntlet from scratch? From where will he source the Uru? And where will he find the Dwarves to forge it?
P
P pppppppppp
0p
Imagine the pride those blacksmiths would have if they knew that an odd 500+ years later there work would still be admired and survived all this time due to there quality of craftsmanship
imagine picking a fight with a blacksmith back then... i heard that the blacksmiths were bouncers back in the day here in denmark idk if its true but they were also dentists and whats not so i would not be surprised a blacksmith would be strong AF i worked with metal and used hammers... but these guys did it all day long they used hammers for welding etc... we dont do that anymore haha its still tough work but man nothing compared to those guys...
@@Kado1609 Can confirm. I use mallets and short sledges to train my forearms and wrists. Time under tension is one of the prevalent bodybuilding techniques and they were swinging those hammers all day. You can safely bet those blacksmiths had arms, shoulders, and a grip that you didn't want to test.
@@Senick i know i know ive been using hammers alot at work... i worked in a metal workplace or in a place where we work with metals all the time im no stranger to hammers no matter the size but usually its just a blacksmithing hammer i use... but that said theres a difference between using a hammer now and then... or using a hammer 16 hours a day like they did back in the day not even you and me can imagine that they were next level tough back then without machines etc...
its survived because its metal and been stored lol
I'm a qualified blacksmith. During my training (UK - industrial) my instructor made a full suit of armour. As a trainee I helped him make that suit.(as well as other items) Despite me working with metal for 4 decades since my training, there's absolutely no way I could ever reach the skill levels required for making such a suit.
For me, I see such items as seen in this video and can work out their construction and the various stages of manufacture but to actually do it is on a seriously high skill level.
The objects shown here are in good hands and being shown to others - that can't be a bad thing :)
Seems you’d have to live and breathe as a blacksmith to have a chance of even being this skilled
@@Rickygrines I'd say born into a family of blacksmith's where knowledge has been collected and passed down through generations and the children start learning from a very young age.
What you say applies to any craft. Very few, no matte how much they train, can paint like Rembrandt, or outdo Elon Musk in business, Einstein in Physics. Those gauntlets are expressions of virtuosity.
I'm fairly certain I've seen/heard Tobias Capwell explain at some point that the large armour workshops in the late medieval/early renaissance era would often have specialists for important and difficult parts of the armour. There might be a guy and his crew who just worked on gauntlets all day, there might be a helmet specialist, perhaps they had a smith specializing in sabatons. And of course for the polishing and decorations the whole thing would be sent off to yet another set of specialists, so by the time the duke or baron received their new custom made and lavishly decorated suit of armour, it may have had dozens of people and several specialists involved in its creation.
Certainly puts in perspective how much of a comprehensive business it was back in the day, and all the very high level craftsmanship bouncing around in a renowned armour workshop.
It’s much much easier to construct armor like this today but yet I still
Couldn’t do it. Been smithing for years and I would run into problems consistently. Ending up with a piece that’s not very functional and ugly. Armors of the past where very very talented and highly trained without doubt.
No idea how many videos you guys got to film with Arms and Armor Department but hopefully it's a ton because I'm absolutely loving them so far. So much incredible knowledge that these guys have to share. It's amazing to see such historical knowledge being shared in such a new medium.
More video to come. Thank you for the kind comment!
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@Chris I completely agree. He should have his own show/channel!
@@ianmangham4570 42
@Chris I could also! My grandpa used to make saddles and I know a thing or two about tanning hides. Lifetime work and the first 10 years is just learning to use the tools.👍
Adam's unabashed enthusiasm, wonder, and curiosity for everything is 85% of the reason I love these videos, and how I aspire to approach life! Keep it going!
Appreciate the comment!
In today's terms, these blacksmiths were essentially building a fighter jet of its time. Craftsmanship is pretty astounding.
medieval ironman tech right there imagine would could be made with enough talent and money
You only need a box of scraps and a cave to work inside.
In 1000 years all of this will be forgotten.
fighter jet? you comparing body armour instead of weapons lol
@@lemcakes32422imagine for a second :
You are an everyday middle age serf. Out of nowhere, your lord commands you to stop growing buckweat and to go hold a pike in the king's army for some war about God knows what. The long walks and the lack of fresh food already made things pretty hard for you since, but the day of the battle, the shit hits the fan real bad!
You see a f***ing cavalery in full heavy armor charging you. Beside the fact that you don't know shit about how to fight, all you have for a weapon is a big pointy stick and the biggest kitchen knife you can get your hands on. You close your eyes, praying for the less painful death possible.
I bet it is the closer you can get of holding a rifle in the desert and to see a jet fighter starting dropping missiles and knowing you are the target.
Lesson of the story:
Make love, not war 😉✌️
What a personable character Ted is. There is nothing better than hearing someone speak about a subject they are clearly very passionate and knowledgeable about. Thoroughly enjoyable, thanks again Tested.
His name is Edward in the beginning, might be a typo 🤷🏾♂️
@D’S Home Renovation I was just going on what Adam called him at the end of the video. Ted is a common nickname for people named Edward.
@@rhodriwilliams1014 I actually did not know that I always thought it was for Theodore, but that makes sense given how few people are names Theodore nowadays.
@@jacobbecklehimer7781 Ted is short for Edward also. Dick is short for Richard, Peggy is short for Margaret. Hank is short for Henry, Jack is short for John. Names are weird like that.
I think videos like this are amazing. Taking modern crafts people and allowing them to first hand experience the craft work of masters in the past gives such a great perspective to us. There's so much passion and knowledge in the curation of these and people like Adam are the perfect audience to bring us along on the ride.
You'd be astounded at how dumb curators actually can be.
@@thomasbecker9676 explain what you mean friend
@@LeafBoye Museum curators can know diddly-squat about the object they curate, and are often responsible for hiding artifacts from the public eye that *they* deem shouldn't be seen. Ian McCollum has a few good discussions about it on Forgotten Weapons including one or two with an *actual* curator.
@@LeafBoye, This Becker is just a troll !
"first hand experience" I see what you did there
As an artist who draws a *lot* of medieval armors I cannot get enough of this. This is an excellent reference!
As an artist who draws a lot of medieval giraffes, I can't get enough of these
blacksmith, same here
as someone who downloads big boob armor mods in skyrim, this means nothing to me.
Drawing armor is my favorite thing to draw personally. That, and cats. Might make a cat knight
My jaw dropped when I seen the quality of these, how! all the individual hammer strikes on that first one and how smooth it looks with hidden rivets. They were truly master smiths
You seem to underestimate the skill and intelligence of our ancestors
@@rambo-cambo3581 "truly master smiths"
"you underestimate their skill and intelligence"
??? 🤔
They were trained from a young age by their fathers who were also trained from a young age by their fathers.
And so on and so on. They did this their whole life.
@@TechnoMinarchist people are just so helpless nowadays and too busy being entertained by media that they couldn't fathom spending any amount of time on a project and are completely baffled by people's experience aquired skill that is still very achievable.
@@lassaut6794 This isn't something achievable by just putting in some "effort". That's why these are being shown. These are things created by an immense amount of skill, training, knowledge, experience and time. That's why these gauntlets are baffling. If people could create things like this with just some time and effort the world would be very different. Even others in the comments have stated they've spent decades in this trade and couldn't create something on this level. Like I get the whole "nobody puts effort into things these days" and agree. But this video and original comment has nothing to do with that. It's about the mastery from people who eat, sleep and breathe these "projects" and how amazing it is.
I am so impressed by the craftsmanship. These items are from hundreds of years ago and they used the same techniques I use in my lesther working. Rivets and strap rings and overlapping layers or protected flexing. Then you add in Adam's wonderful excitement for things and I feel that so much!
Adam, thank you for being as unabashedly excited with this experience as many of us would be. Great video as always! I've seen the Met's Arms and Armor exhibit many times and am always amazed.
My cousin does similar work in classic art at the National Gallery of Art in DC. She showed me the back rooms and processes in the same way you experienced it. Being within inches of an original Monet and watching the restoration process is something I'll never forget.
I’ve done a lot of collaboration with art conservators and I never lose that feeling of awe. They have such mastery!
I've seen countless armor suits on display in museum and castles but getting these gauntless explained and shown up close was really special. Also I had no idea a design exists that locks your sword inside the gauntlet so you can't drop it, that's ingenious! While it obviously is very important to not drop your sword on the battlefield a blow to your sword that would have smashed it out of your hand but now can't since the sword is locked in place would probably also put a lot of stress on your wrist and elbow. But it makes sense to rather feel some pain in the aftermath then to lose your head while trying to pick up your dropped sword. Amazing designs, thanks for showing those!
Another downside of the locking mechanism is that it impedes your ability to grapple, which could be a problem if your enemy gets up close and personal. Grappling played a huge part in plate armor combat and its importance is often overlooked in modern depictions.
To be very honest, that looks like a jousting gauntlet to me. It'd have made a lot more sense in that setting, too, because dropping a lance was seen as a major faux pas. On the actual battlefield you never want to be glued to a single a weapon - what if your sword/poleaxe/mace/whatever breaks or is damaged beyond functionality? What if you need to change weapons, climb a ladder, mount a horse, row a boat, you catch my drift?
@@UngodlyFreak,And unlike in SCA fighting, much use of the pommel, too. Analogous to buttstroking somebody with a rifle: serious fractures.
Thanks to the Met for sharing their collection and to Adam for making the effort to see it. Museums have amazing collections and while we can see some of it on display, we can’t really understand how it’s made or used without these types of explanations. Terrific video all around!
As much as I can appreciate the collection the Met boasts
I refuse to believe that even half of the artifacts belong there - America is a fledgling country, I do not understand why it possesses so much art from all around the world, that pre dates the US itself
While I understand most museums have a controversial side to how they came by their collections, it really stands out to me here - all of these gauntlets should be in European museums
Simple answer: Marketing and also not everyone can make a trip to Europe. There is also the chance they just don't have the storage so they send it to other countries to experience another culture of either, past or present
@@rambo-cambo3581 I agree but people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. Europe will get their artifacts back when they return all the artifacts they pillaged from around the world over centuries of colonization. To this day, many European museums fight tooth and nail to keep their stolen collections against the wishes of their countries of origin.
@@rambo-cambo3581 some ancient egyptians relic is in european museum instead of their original place, whats up with that?
@@rambo-cambo3581 why does the louvre have an ancient Egyptian exhibit? Why do they have African antiquities? Ahhhhh gate keeping art, I get it.
The only place I had ever seen a "locking gauntlet" before today was in the Player's Handbook of D&D 3.5, and I thought they just made it up!
I am beyond staggered to learn that such a thing actually existed!
You too, eh! 😁
What AD&D doesn't tell you is how much of a PITA it is getting into and out of full plate harness. Brigantine is a lot more comfortable and clothing-like, though it's no feather bed to dungeon-nap in on those long adventures (use your gambeson).
You can see and feel Adam’s joy and excitement in these videos. Love it!
He was sooooo happy!
His genuine giddiness is one of his most endearing qualities. I remember an episode when a very talented gal made prop gauntlets for Adam and I envy her for that experience making him soo happy
i watched this in absolute awe with my mouth open. after playing so many games with such armors all around i've never seen a real armor with this much detail. glad this was recommended to me, freaking awesome!
yeah, it´s lovely
Awesome episode. Would love to see more artifacts from the MET with Adam. Love his inquisitive mind to ask questions most of us don't notice. Great video
As an artist who loves armors, im absolutely in love with these videos as theres not a lot of them out there going in depth, hopefully theres more to come, thanks Adam!!
Super interesting! As a practitioner of the 14th century Italian manuals, I'm really partial to the transitional period of gauntlets. That 16th century Italian one was gorgeous!
Thanks Ted and Adam this was such a fun episode today, looks like you both enjoyed yourselves also while filming. Love and Peace to everyone....
I just love how exited he gets when he says" I can touch these" in falsetto just like a kid. The passion he must have for this
He's not unique; he just has the access to people who have access to these things.
My deep baritone would have gone higher, like helium! Totally awesome.
EXCITED. Not exited. Learn your words.
@@notbadforanoob8725 Eh, could have been bad phone autocorrect. All too common.
Well, as boys grow older their toys become more expensive.
Many years ago, an exhibition of Austrian armour (from Styria) opened in San Francisco. The formal reception featured an introduction by a famous born-in-Styria Austrian. Yeah - it was Arnold and yes, he came in formal attire and had to wear gloves when handling some of the pieces.
That last one is genius.
This is probably my favorite video that you've done. OMG the skill and detail! Fascinating!
As a blacksmith aspiring be an armorsmith as well this was incredibly informative and entertaining to watch. Thanks tested and especially you adam for ispiring me throughout my life! Love you brother and hope you have a great one!
The locking gauntlet is simply amazing, it shows its art in the function and form ra ther than its "paint job" like the gilded one. Both are fabulous ways of show craftsmanship
There's also an interesting contrast between Italy and Germany in terms of form and function. Both Italian gauntlets have the individual fingers, looks very fancy, and I imagine it feels less restrictive to wear, too. Then all the German gauntlets are a relatively simpler mitten style, but I imagine that is more protective, and the last one has the additional safeguards to keep from dropping your sword.
Armor bashers have found it's actually trickier to get fit and function exactly right with fewer plates in the gaunt than many -- the joints help.
Plate gauntlets are also maintenance heavy -- even more than the rest of plate harness, which is like a part time daily job. You consume the inner gloves 🧤 at a great rate; you have to think of even the nice gloves as expendable. But also don't cheap out on the gloves, because the cheapest cheapies fit poorly, impair your grip, and wear holes in you, ouch. I recommend drovers' gloves. And expect to sew them into the gauntlets' tabs and edges, rather than try and strap the gauntlets on.
Thanks for this! I do Renaissance faire for a living, and I started as an antler Carver jeweler, then began chasing and repousse in silver, then raising copper cups, then hammering bronze sheet shields, and am considering getting into bronze armor. This is so informative. You just don't get this from books or static images. Thank you, Adam. You rock!
This is so absolutely amazing to see! I have dabbled in blacksmithing, and even the tiny bit I have done has given me a great respect for the craftsmen that make this kind of thing. Thank you so much for showing this kind of up close and detailed explanation. I look forward to seeing more!
I would absolutely love to get some of the technical background to some of these kinds of pieces, like, what their cost was (either in today's equivalent, or relative to other items of the era), and the number of people and hours it took to make an item, or a full suit.
In 1620 a normal Craftsman earned around 10-20 Pound a Year in England, when Prince Henry of Wale's bought his famous Greenwich Armor, he paid 200 Pound.
This in today's Money would cost anywhere betweeen 240 and 350.000 Pound.
by the way, if you haven't seen the Greenwich Armor: ua-cam.com/video/moDnza87ZTA/v-deo.htmlsi=CL_U03jAZvx5kBlu
that is far more than impressive
Fantastic video tour of these amazing gauntlets with Mr Hunter, a real expert who obviously loves the items he takes care of. Good to hear a shout out for the Wallace Collection too
Loving this series from the Met!
I took my son to The Tower of London and The Wallace collection over the half term holiday. Sadly the main armour collection room at The Wallace were closed for refurbishment, but I'm hoping this means new displays in the near future!
Oh, and as to the comments about the scary mannequins - We had a 4' tall Play Mobil shop display doll stored in our spare room. We were clearing out stuff this weekend, so it is now outside our back door, and EVERY TIME I see it it scares the bejeezus out of me!
It just scared the bejeezus out of me, again!
If you get the chance, go to the Royal Armouries in Leeds.
They have a tremendous collection.
@@davidcopplestone6266 I tried to figure out if we could do a day trip, but it worked out expensive and a very long day!
@@davidcopplestone6266 I’ve never been there, thanks for the suggestion Dave.
The Wallace is underrated and great! I went there because they had a great example of one of my favourite weapons, the Swiss sabre, and it was awesome
I got to visit the met for the first time last year and see the armor collection in person. It was mind blowing but you don't have the same context you get from a video like this. Thank you for putting this together so we can see more detail and learn from the craftsman that get to maintain these amazing pieces.
Absolutely gorgeous pieces. The craftsmanship on those are out of this world.
Indeed, makes a mockery of cultural, as well as technological, relativism. When the Europeans constructed fantastic armour; and breathtaking castles and cathedrals; other cultures managed maybe a hut made from mud.
Melting pot my ass…
What are you trying to say?
@@lequelle2580
Many cultures were just as advanced as Europe at the same time, Medieval China, Japan, and Arabia spring to mind. As well as northern Africa with the Moors. Every culture has beauty, every culture has something to offer. @@lequelle2580
3:40 You can actually grab the enemy sword without a chainmail glove, but its ofcourse easier to perform safely that way.
You should look up heavy armored combat, famous sport that trickled into the states.
These armor videos have been so great, favorite Tested "field trip" series in that last few years
Thank you! We’re so glad!
Truly incredible to get a closer peek at how complex these gauntlets are!
I loove those armour drooling videos. I recommend a visit in Germany at Eysenkleider in Langenzenn/Bavaria. An expert armourer is located there. After that, go a little further to the North and have a look at what Arne Koets is doing. There he can see the only real complete horse barding on a living horse I know of. Oh, and Mr. Koets wears a suit to go with, of course. Really a sight to behold.
These are some of my favorite videos. As someone who has loved knights for many years and the whole idea behind them I would be just as much of a "kid in a candy store" as Adam here.
OMG so gorgeous! I had no idea they would have had such intricate mechanisms like the spring loaded latch on the last one. Simply amazing!
Thank you for this beautiful inside peek into these stunning works of art!
This series from the archives of the MET is some of the most fascinating content I've seen.
Appreciate that! So glad you’re enjoying the videos!
Adam, if your interested in suits of medieval and renaissance armour, then you NEED to visit the Wallace Collection in London, and specifically meet Toby Capwell, the Curator of Arms and Armour there, and an expert on all things in the field of period medieval armour.
I am certain it would be a most momentous occasion. :)
Agreed! If anyone wants to create content relating to medieval European armour, Dr. Capwell is the person to seek out for an interview.
He says at the beginning of the video that he has been to the Wallace Collection.
He should go to Burg Eltz in Germany. There are some beautiful Armors and Weapons. The whole castle is like in olden times and it still belongs to the original aristocratic family (for 33 generations).
Dr Capwell left the Wallace some time ago.
The articulation of the gauntlets are superb. The leather worker would also had to be talented to fit snugly to hand and gauntlet. Great set of vlogs. Loving this series👍👍👍👍👍🇬🇧
That gauntlet with the chain mail palm is awesome! I’d love to try an make something like that one day!
Ted was so great! Can't wait to see more from him!
This channel is among the very best on all of youtube, at least for my viewing eye. Such fascinating things that you wouldn't likely hear such detail and love concerning anywhere else.
At first I thought the first one doesn’t look that impressive, but then I realized they made such a smooth surface with just their medieval tools. Mind blowing.
Boy, if I had a nickel for every time I heard someone say.... "So, I got looking around my Gauntlet drawers...." LOL.... that's a classic line ! Wow. I love posts like this, where I think going into this... "not my kind of thing, and probably not very interesting.. but we'll see...." And now I've watched this twice!! Amazing craftsmanship in these pieces. I can't believe how "fluid" the movement is in these... and how much work, design, planning, and then rework and refining that was done to get them to move that fluid. Just incredible !! Makes me think of basically designing a functioning snakeskin for a person to wear. And the thumbnail impressions on them as well. I have to say I do like that flared cuff one the best, as far as looks would go. Great post. This got me wondering why I had not subscribed to your channel before. Immediately corrected that mistake ! Thanks again for sharing this. And much respect to Ted Hunter & staff for such care and preservation work that they've done. Clearly it's not just a job but a passion for them. Job well done!
The flaring cuff is also a datable feature -- 16th century onward. 15th c. cuffs were more nearly conforming to the forearm, and with a little articulation about the wrist. The trumpet-end ones could do away with that, and give good wrist protection.
Absolutely amazing. I love the technical details - and I half expected Adam to try them on!
I wonder how easy it would be to make a good working reproduction of these pieces.
This video is another reminder that people in the past were just as intelligent as people today, just having different technology. It's easy to automatically have a prejudice of people in the past, just because our technology is more advanced.
Hi! I've practiced, studied, competed, and taught Italian rapier for coming up on 10 years. The duelling gauntlet is so cool! It makes a ton of sense! One thing to add to that conversation, grabbing your opponents blade with your hand is a huge part of rapier fencing, even without protective armor! There are 2 reasons for this. 1) the way blades work, contact alone doesn't cut, there has to be pressure, and a drawing/cutting motion really helps. This is why you can walk your hand with a bitter knife and it doesn't hurt you, but that same knife can cut through meat when you eat it. 2) Even though you are risking getting your hand cut by using it actively, it's likely protecting much more important parts of your body.
German engineering is incredible.. much respect, I wish we knew more about the masters who built such amazing pieces.
Well...we do? Theyre german? They wrote up EVERYTHING....if you want to read up on the man every lord of the rings dwarven smith tries to impersonate...read up on ULFBERT.
The best smith of his time. Nobels would literally come thousands of kilometers to get a sword from this man. It was a right of passage for kings and emporors.
Love too see you still working and doing what you love !
You know it’s German when you can still find the receipt 500 years later.
I'm so happy you make kickass content like this. I couldn't stop looking at that duct sealant on the branch box over your head. It was bumming me out haha
Wow. I am blown away by the craftsmanship put into those gauntlets.
Incredible! How awesome to have a channel that explores this kind of stuff! Thanks Adam!!
The sheer engineering of the spring loaded and pinned latches on the last one are incredible to think that someone could do that in the time period.
Man have years I dont see adam man you were a part of my childhood in mythbusters. I'm very glad with youtube to recommend me your channel.
People even back then were just trying to make superhero armor! Locks and springs and hinges, it's amazing!
oh boy now i want to learn all about medieval armour. this is amazing craftsmanship
Those are the ones in storage?!? I want to visit this now to see how impressive the displays are.
thank you for posting history related stuff. I'd have held my breath the entire time. it's strange to think there ever existed a time where that was a normal sort of thing to purchase.
That Italian dueling gauntlet is gnarrrlllly
Dude I love watching you nerd out! Real, pure joy. So cool.
It’s very interesting topic for video ! Thank You very much , Adam !!! 😊
You can see there the early mindset of modern days car and machine production too.
The Italian gauntlets are very filigree and fancy in design.
The German gauntlets are more simple in structure but still functional and sophisticated.
It might be depend on the main purpose as well but the resemblance to constructions from today is there.^^
Italians gonna Italize!
These were so impressive. I had no idea such technical expertise went into these
I think people in medieval times were just cut from a totally different cloth. When I saw the mounted Knight on a fully armored horse at the Royal Armouries in Leeds it really brought home how insane those foot solders facing that must have been.
The mounted Knight & armoured horse looked like a bloody tank, those facing a charge from them must have been terrified.
16th century is not medieval.
@@joen4088 OK, Mr Pedantic. Did I mention the 16th century? No, I mentioned Medieval because I was referring to medieval times, if I meant 16th century I would have said 16th century 😒. I know the pieces in the video are 16th century but knights were around in medieval times.
Look, just to keep you happy, does this sound better "I think people in the early modern European period were just cut from a totally different cloth".
Now go and find something more useful to do than making pointless, Pedantic comments. 🙄
Wish I had an influence like you when I was growing up. You do the coolest work, and love what you do. Keep-on-keeping-on brother, thank you for the many years of your time you've shared with us already, you deserve every bit of happiness the world has to offer. You've stayed true to your dreams inspiring countless others to do the same.
These beautiful pieces must have been crazy expensive at the time
Yes. But that is (one reason) why nobles were invented---to have people who, by collecting taxes, had the money to buy this stuff and provide the service of protecting the country. And by making the position hereditary, they also were able to provide training to their sons who would take over their position.
The skill level to make those is so impressive. Really works of art as much as armour
Destroy the gauntlet before thanos arrives
Love this. I saw your henchman armor thing and while it certainly looks cool as just a thing on it's own, my inner medieval nerd was like "Yeah, but it's really not how medieval armor looked like at all". So it's great that you also shine a light on the real stuff, well a bit post-medieval in this case, but still real historical armor from a time where people wore armor. Even the time where armor technology really reached it's height despite firearms existing.
How can you waste the chance to hold and touch these gauntlets and not even try one of them on? PUT IT ON YOUR HAND!!! WTF IS WRONG WITH YOU?!?!
That last one I would argue would be a jousting gauntlet, not a fencing one. Fighting with your grip locked like that would suck. However locking your lance in place during a jousting tournament makes far more sense. They don't need the high level of dexterity and aren't expected to grapple or switch weapons during jousting like they might in combat
Like a lobster tail
Those are amazing! Thanks again Adam, and Mr. Hunter for bringing those out!
I never knew I wanted to watch this. Those are amazing! The ingenuity and attention to detail is impressive. And they are works of art. Wow. Thank you UA-cam.
I have never been an armor geek but I love these videos. I like all of the Tested videos but these are my new favorites.
This was fantastic! I just came here from Adam getting to touch, and heft, period swords. It’s refreshing to see someone that enthused about period tech. Ok, now off to find more of this “Tested” stuff….
This was amazing!
Great stuff. I learned a lot about armor that I had no idea they were so complex, and complete.
good job your enthusiasm is infectious. Never lose it!
What a lovely video, Adam's enthusiasm is wonderful. Huge fan
Edward seems like a really genuine person. I loved seeing this! Thank you Adam!!
i think also many armors for use, if the owner could afford it, WOULD be pretty decorated as well.
Absolutely love these videos, Adam's enthusiasm is so infectious!
I took a chainmail demonstration class a couple of years ago, it was so good to see how it was made! We had this square steel box about 3inch with a hole in it and cranck (cylinder shaped) and you wound the long steel rods like old square nails they were but wound them round the pole to form a spring and then chiselled each individual link off by hand, overlayed the open gap that was left and with like a Nail punch you wound punch the 2 ends into eachother to make a complete link! It took all day to make the palm of a glove so i have alot respect for such hand done quality it must have took a good week or 2 to complete a pair!
Such amazing craftsmanship! It blows me away these were completely done by hand🤯
That's pretty cool how they accommodated the Ulnar Malleoli. I don't think you'd see that kind of thing nowadays
Wow! So cool to get a good look at some superb craftsmanship from the past. Makes my little heart sing
Absolutely loved it!
How awesome! I hope you got a LOT of photos of everything you could get. Next time you build a gauntlet, I expect to see a lot of these details used.
Love Adam, Love the topic. Some close up still shots of the gauntlets under good lighting would have been nice, to really be able to appreciate and observe the fine detail on them. The wide shots and constant moving make it hard to see the intricacy of the work. Thanks guys
I have really been enjoying this video series, Thanks MET and Adam.
Wonderful to think that 500 years or so later people are still gazing upon them appreciating the craftsmanship involved in making such beautiful things
The 2nd one is by far the best
Thank you, Adam. Instead of sleeping I was photoshopping a concept art for my new medievel story because of you. Wonderful video, can't wait to see more!
I found it interesting that the guy told Adam "They needed a "Armourer" with them in the field!
In The British Army today they also have "Armourers" they are the guys that repair and maintain the guns.