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Square shield boss polished 22x22cm
A shield boss (umbo) is a round convex or conical plate in the middle of the shield. Bumps are usually made of strong metal, but they can also be made of wood. The shield boss was originally designed to reflect blows from the center of the circular shields, although its convex shape also provided a place for the shield to grasp. Over time, heating shields with curved bodies became more popular, and the handle of the rod was replaced with an enrichment, the boss became more of a decorative piece. More information...
Square shield boss polished 22x22cm
- Sheet thickness 1.6mm (Gauge 16)
- Length x width: 22 x 22cm
- Height 5cm
- Weight approx. 600 g
On non-circular shields, bosses are often absent due to differences in technology; With a round shield it is possible to take off in the direction of an approaching blow, while with a stoker or a kite shield attacks are repelled by rotating the shield around the body. The protrusion provides a significant advantage in deflecting blows in a stroke movement, but is not very effective when a pivot pin is used to block an attack.
The shield bosses were fixed in the middle of a round wooden shield. It is believed that this specimen and others in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum (accession no. 1984.184.1) were made in northern Italy, the heart of the Lombards Kingdom from the end of the 6th to the middle of the 8th centuries. Most of the surviving Lombard shield heads are made of simple iron. Some, like these examples, are richly decorated with engraved gilded bronze stains. The crosses and fish that adorn this boss indicate that it belonged to a Christian
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