2020 Essays

Black Varnish for Armor

Camps, Celine

Historians know little about how armor was made black. This essay starts to fill the lacuna by examining a sixteenth-century recipe, “Black varnish for sword guard, bands for trunks, etc.,” on fol. 4v of Ms. Fr. 640. What was black varnish for armor? How was it made and applied? What ingredients and techniques were used? What purposes did it serve? Using a combination of reconstruction and textual research, this essay suggests that “Black varnish for sword guard” was used as an etching ground, a rust-protection coat, and a finish to impart luster and brilliance to armor and metals. The reconstructions underpinning this essay give insights into the varnish ingredients and show that success (or failure) in making and applying black varnish depended as much on the properties of the ingredients as on an artisan’s knowledge of heat, metals, and tools—as well as the skill of working with them.