Meet Our New Chain Mail Mannequin!
- Post Date: 07/08/2024
- Author: Jen Grove, collections storage coordinator
- Reading Time: 2 minute read
Summer is often a time for unique projects in the Collections section. Last summer, practicum student Jess Smith created a new, mobile mount for this chain mail armor. This artifact dates to the 11th to 15th centuries and is a popular artifact for university class visits here at Spurlock.
The previous mount, which was not designed to be permanent, had several issues. It was immobile, lacked form, and not stable enough to safely hold 18 pounds of metal!
When approaching the new build, Jess’s research discovered the mail armor was being displayed backwards and that a certain type of undergarment, called a gambeson or aketon, would have been worn under the armor.
Jess started the build by adding musculature to a mannequin form. This enables the mannequin to better support the artifact and presents the armor more similarly to how it would be worn on a person. The arms of the mannequin were fitted with copper rods to create a natural pose. One arm was designed to be removable for ease of dressing the mannequin. She then sewed the gambeson using undyed linen and cotton muslin. A mobile base was created by repurposing a large display block, adding casters, and placing weights in the bottom of the block.
The final construction is clean, professional, historically accurate, safe, and mobile. Great work, Jess!
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