Category: Male clothing > arming garments

Catalan knight's gambeson

Catalan knight's gambeson

Century: XIV, XV

CODE	Material	Standard ?	Price
PMLR0167	Linen	Hand-made	385.00 EUR
PMLS0166	Linen	Mixed	189.00 EUR

* Please write the extra wishes in the place 'additional information' at the end of the order.
** the price of a material button: 1,5 euro
    the price of a moulded button: 1,5 euro
See how to place an order for several people

Our Catalan knight’s gambeson is a medieval aketon which is an indispensable part of every knight’s clothing . It has a collar and it is laced up in an overcast method. This gambeson will work well in knight fighting as well as in reenactment.

This model of knight’s clothing is made of materials of the highest quality. Its outer layer and lining are made of linen. It is closed in an overcast lacing method with only one long string. The gambeson has a high collar and two types of stitchings - vertical over the belt and horizontal below. Sleeves have vertical stitchings reaching the middle of the forearm and horizontal on the lower part. The stuffing of this knight’s clothing is made of a nonwoven mix of cotton and polyester with cotton strengthenings.

Each section of this knight’s gambeson have different levels of thickness:
torso - Y2
sleeves - Y1
strengthening on shoulders and elbows - Y2
collar - Y1

NOTE - there is an option of modifying the thickness of amortization layers in this model of knight’s clothing. To customize this product, please contact our Sales Department before you place an order.
More information on the thickness of the gambeson can be found here!

When you place an order, please choose one of the available colors. The table of colors can be found here.

Our gambeson is available in standard sizes from XS to XXL or in custom size, fitted to individual needs for an additional 20% charge. To choose the proper size, please follow the chart below:

Size	Chest girth	Waist girth	Hips girth	Height
XS	84-92 cm	72-80 cm	88-96 cm	164-170 cm
S	92-100 cm	80-88 cm	96-104 cm	170-176 cm
M	100-108 cm	88-96 cm	104-112 cm	176-182 cm
L	108-116 cm	96-104 cm	112-120 cm	182-188 cm
XL	116-124 cm	104-112 cm	120-128 cm	188-194 cm
XXL	124-132 cm	112-120 cm	128-136 cm	194-200 cm
Custom	Individual measurements. Price + 20%.

Please write down the chosen size in additional information box when you place the order.

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Catalan knight’s gambeson - straight from Spain

Catalan gambeson was based on a scene painted with a tempera on wood from an altar of Santa Maria de Rubió church in Barcelona. One of the soldiers from the scene of the arrest of Jesus is wearing a green knight’s clothing, similar to our aketon. Altar is dated at 1350-1375.
Scenes from this piece of art are stored in Museu Episcopal de Vic in Spain.

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Basic features of our Catalan gambeson

- overcast lacing method of closure
- collar providing a proper neck protection, crucial in some knights’ clothing
- available in standard sizes (XS-XXL) or in custom sizing for additional charge
- vastly modifiable
- based on historical sources
- option of changing the level of amortization layers

Who was Maestro de Rubió? The author of the altar from Santa Maria’s Barcelonian church

The author of the source of our Catalan knight’s gambeson is Maetro de Rubió. Looking at the mastery of this anonymous, Catalan painter, we can conclude he was inspired by an Italian-gothic style in art. It is assumed that earlier he belonged to the workshop of the Serra brothers or Ramon Destorrent. He probably worked in Manresa (Catalonia) and was connected with the Catalan lords.
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Padded armors in the medieval period

Gambesons were a cheap protection for the fighting men in the Middle Ages, but only the poorest ones used only them as their single armour.
For others they were a part of a complete protective armament, providing amortization of the hit and the protection of attritions from the armour. Among padded protective elements we can find: gambesons protecting the trunk and hands, padded gloves, padded coifs and separate hoses. They were sewn from layers of a fabric.
In the 13th century gambesons were long and rather badly-fitted to the figure. This piece of medieval knight’s clothing usually put over the head and buttoned only near the neck. Later, with the development of other elements of the armour, gambesons were shorter and better fitted to the body. In the 14th and the 15th centuries they were usually buttoned at the front or laced up.

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The upgrading of SPES gambesons design

Currently, we are working on implementing to our assortment the upgraded versions of our well-known knight's clothing. Changes include:
- improving the functionality and mobility of our aketons
- layers’ thickness (check the chart with levels of amortization)
- directions and shape of stitchings
- minor changes in cut (for better fitting)
- and most of all, matching the gambesons to our six-levels size set: XS-XXL (NOTE: you can still order a custom-sized gambeson)
Therefore, you can be sure that upgraded SPES gambesons are even better suited to your needs. And if you have any questions about mentioned changes in any model, contact us - we will dispel the doubts!

To make each gambeson stand out even more, we gave them unique names. From now on, the Gambeson type 2 is named Catalan knight’s gambeson..

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