Breast plates

The cuirass is a protective plate torso cover - leather or metal. A single cuirass (front plate) protects only the chest, a double (including the back plate) also protects the back. It can be worn as part of plate armour or separately. Thanks to the relative light-weight and protecting the most important organs, the cuirassier remained in the armament of heavy cavalry, the so-called cuirassiers until the latter half of the 19th century, despite the flourishing firearms.