As firearms made plate armour increasingly obsolete on the battlefield through the 17th and 18th centuries, the gorget underwent a striking transformation: rather than disappearing, it shrank down into a small decorative crescent worn purely as a badge of rank by commissioned officers, a practice that persisted across several European armies into the 19th century. Far from a functional throat defence at this point, the 18th-century gorget was purely symbolic dress, typically engraved with regimental or royal insignia and suspended from a ribbon or chain. This reproduction recreates that later, purely ornamental form.
Discontinued
Ornamental Military Gorget, 18th Century Style
The gorget began as functional plate armour protecting the throat, but by the 18th century had shrunk into a small, purely decorative metal crescent worn by officers as a badge of rank. No longer offering real protection, this later gorget survived as a visible symbol of military commission, hung from the neck by a ribbon or chain over the coat. This reproduction recreates that ornamental military dress piece, a genuine artefact of how armour components could outlive their protective function to become symbols of status.
Related products
-
Chastity Belt with Lock, Novelty Piece
SKU: AH3865The chastity belt is one of the most enduring images of the medieval period in popular imagination — a locked metal device supposedly worn to guarantee fidelity while a knight was away at war. Modern historians, however, have found no credible medieval evidence for its real use: the earliest known reference appears only in 1405, in a treatise on siege engines that most scholars read as satire rather than a genuine account of military equipment. This reproduction is offered as a novelty piece drawing on that enduring legend, rather than a claim to represent an authentic medieval artefact.
-
Greaves, Classical Pattern II, Pair
SKU: A018Greaves rank among the oldest dedicated pieces of leg armour in Western military history, referenced repeatedly in classical literature including Hesiod’s Shield of Heracles, Homer’s Iliad, and Virgil’s Aeneid. This second classical-pattern pair offers an alternative cut to our other classical greaves, for wearers or collectors seeking a distinct piece. It protects the shin and calf below the knee in the same classical form referenced throughout ancient literature.
-
Phalerae Harness, Solid Brass
SKU: AH6761BPhalerae were the closest thing the Roman army had to modern medals — disc-shaped decorations in gold, silver or bronze, awarded for acts of bravery and distinguished service. Worn mounted on a leather harness across the chest, they were typically issued in odd-numbered sets and paraded openly, marking a soldier as one of the phalerati, the decorated. This harness recreates that display in solid brass discs cast with raised Roman iconography, mounted on genuine leather straps.
-
Gladiator Front & Back Plate, Brass
SKU: AH6221BUnlike the legionary’s segmented cuirass, most gladiators fought in minimal armour, their bare torsos left exposed as part of the spectacle — but certain classes wore a simple chest plate, or cardiophylax, over the heart. This front-and-back plate recreates that limited torso protection, cast in brass to sit over the chest and upper back independently of a full cuirass. Paired with the manica and greaves typical of heavier gladiator types such as the Samnite-derived murmillo or hoplomachus, it forms part of a genuinely varied system of arena equipment rather than uniform battle armour.
