16th Century Knight of St. John Breast Plate / Cabasset

16th Century Knight of St. John Breast Plate / Cabasset FOR SALE, Only Serous Buyers and Offers! This beautiful example of fine Italian armour belonging to a Maltese Knight. Rarely seen, this half suit is a special example having the armour pieces blackened and both the breast plate and helmet having the Knight of St. John / Malta cross painted on the individual pieces. The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, were commonly referred to as the Knights Hospitaller, a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headquartered in the Kingdom of Jerusalem until 1291, on the island of Rhodes from 1310 until 1522, in Malta from 1530 until 1798. Origins of the Cross of Malta: The Maltese Cross was officially adopted by the Order of the Knights Hospitallers of St. John in 1126. Its eight points denote the eight obligations of the knights, namely “to live in truth, have faith, repent one’s sins, give proof of humility, love justice, be merciful, be sincere and whole-hearted, and to endure persecution”. With time, the eight points also came to represent the eight “languages” (national groupings) of the noblemen who were admitted into the brotherhood, namely those of Auvergne, Provence, France, Aragon, Castille and Portugal, Italy, Bavaria (Germany), and England (with Scotland and Ireland). To this very day, the Maltese Cross remains the symbol of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.   The armour set itself is in excellent shape for its age, but definitely shows the stress / damages from combat use. Both on the helmet and breast plate show extensive signs of combat blows and deterioration. The breast plate has also a musket ball shot which would have been done by the armourer to ensure the plate can withstand a musket ball shot. Whoever the knight was that wore this suit more than likely took his last breath wearing it, the helmet shows multiple deflections from blow and one blow that made its mark. A penetration through the helmet that could have only been done by an impact weapon probably a war hammer or polearm. This is reinforced by the presence of dried blood on the interior of the helmet that matches with the entry point on the helmet. If this was the final blow its hard to say but definitely it hit its mark and seriously injured the knight who wore this armour. While the suit it quite basic the bronze / copper accent on the helmet and painting make it truly a historical piece, the fact that the suit has signs of combat and blood add to the mystic, strength and bravery of such knights who lived and died by the sword, following the code of chivalry. Truly a museum piece that tells the ultimate sacrifice these men of iron endured in the pursuit of righteousness. Enquire now