Why No Gauntlets?

[s_taillebois]

Probably a visual convention for clarity in illustration. As for ease of drawing, that depends on the situation. By the early Renn. (1450) they were obsessed with the new visual high tech (linear perspective). Putting an object like gauntlets into that system, would scarcely be easy. (Same reason the Artists of the period spent so much time drawing complex goblets and silly hats, the proficient people were showing off)
On whether anyone would have had armour, must have had gauntlets, perhaps not everybody. The gauntlets, due to the fairly small size and complex articulation were amongst the harder items to make. So these would have been very high cost, some were even test masterpieces for master entry into guilds. To give a sense of how complex these were, some of the armourers of the period, moved into making the eras high tech wonder, the spring driven clock. (Nuremburg eggs for example). Wasn't an accident that the gauntlet makers and clock people were often in the same centers like Nuremburg.
As to damage to the hands. Quite true, have been whacked a few times sparring, yeesh, even with heavy gloves. Would wonder if the side ring longswords and such, were a development in part- fostered by those not having full harness, or who chose to not wear gauntlets to have better control.

[Matthew_Anderson]

I also noticed that in Talhoffer 1476, the armoured combatants are actaully wearing little round rondels of some kind on the backs of their hands, drawn very clearly and in good detail like the rest of the armour. I imagine these would offer some protection while still allowing full mobility and grip of the hands. This would seem to add some evidence to the theory that they are choosing to fight without the gauntlets for some reason, rather than simply being omitted from the drawings.

[Shane Smith]

I actually have a pair of those roundels Matt. I'll try to dig them up for this weekends training session and we'll maybe try them out in some halfswording.

[William Savage]

Hey Craig Peters
I thought your idea was really facingating, Way to think outside the box!

And J Cheandler you mentioned not being able to find good gloves so maybe you want to check this out.

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/martialartsequip/cobchopsparg.html

Just talking.

[Rod-Thornton]

Shane?

Are we off for Christmas Eve?

[Shane Smith]

Shane?

Are we off for Christmas Eve?

Yes we are...It's been a loooong day <img src="/forum/images/icons/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/icons/tongue.gif" alt="" />

[Mars Healey]

Hockey and Lacrosse gloves protect pretty well but are simply too cumbersome.

I played lacrosse in high school and college and I agree the gloves can be cumbersome if you don't modify them. Most players would cut out the leather palms and parts of the fingers to increase control. Yes, fingers did occasionally get mashed, but the increased control outweighed the risk. Maybe, just my thought, medieval fighters altered their gloves in a similar fashion.

[Matthew_Anderson]

Oh yeah, I remember those now. OK, you wear the rondels, I'll wear my gauntlets, and we'll go at it! I'll bring the ice and first aid kit <img src="/forum/images/icons/wink.gif" alt="" />

[Casper Bradak]

I have a pair of those rondel gauntlets as well (I mentioned those from Master Talhoffer's manual in my earlier post), and I agree that if the hands are bare, they are what would probably be viciously attacked from the get go.
The rondel gauntlets, in my experience, are good protection at any point but a bind. They cover well at any full measure, but they don't stop any abschneiden techniques from a bind. It's just way too easy to slice down the blade at the half sword when in a bind.
Intent may play a large part there. From a bind, you may rarely get your hands sliced unless you pause in bind to look picturesque. If you actively move into your techniques, it gives them far less incentive to slice at the hands, but to occupy them with winding back at you maneuvering more defensively.