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'Roland', carving, Verona Cathedral, Lombardy, Italy, c.1139
Photo by Wolfgang Sauber
Referenced on p.219, Arms and Armour of the Crusading Era, 1050-1350, Western Europe and the Crusader States by David Nicolle
577 'Roland', carving, Lombardy, c.1139
(in situ west front of Cathedral, Verona, Italy)
This unusually detailed mid-12th century carving is of considerable importance where Italian communal weaponry is concerned. The fact that the warrior clearly has a mail chausse on his left leg shows him to represent a man who would fight on foot in disciplined ranks, probably kneeling on his right leg and forming a shield wall with comrades to right and left. He has a slightly decorated conical helmet with a forward-angled crown, a slightly-curved lower rim and no nasal. His helmet is secured by a chin-strap and is worn without a coif. The rest of his equipment is straightforward, consisting of a large, flat-topped, kite-shaped shield with a boss and a straight pointed sword with straight quillons and a nut-shaped pommel. The apparent curvature of the sword is a result of high relief carving.