“A scaly gauntlet now with joints of steel
Must glove this hand”
Henry IV Part 2
Act 1, Scene 1

During the Tudor period, full armour was used less and less, as warfare shifted from hand-to-hand combat and more towards combat using firearms. But hands and heads still needed protecting. And so gauntlets, gloves made out of hardened leather, sometimes with metal plates, became popular. This highly decorated example is from Germany and dates to the 1500s.

This one’s also featured in the National Leather Collection’s online exhibition Leather in Shakespeare. Shakespeare knew his gloves, coffers, bagpipes, gorges, pouches and quivers.  And if you visit this exhibition, so will you.

Gauntlets are still used today by anyone who needs to protect their hands – motorcyclists and foundry workers, for example.