Breastplate

A breastplate or chestplate is a device worn over the torso to protect it from injury, as an item of religious significance, or as an item of status.

European

In medieval weaponry, the breastplate is the front portion of

Sometime between 1600 and 1650 a form of breastplate was developed that consisted of two plates in close contact.^[7] This was meant to improve protection against bullets and has been described as duplex armour.^[7]

Both Zeus and Athena are sometimes depicted as wearing a goatskin shield or breastplate called an Aegis. At the center of Athena’s shield was the head of Medusa.

Asian

The 14th century

According to the biblical

In both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, the word 'breastplate' is used figuratively to describe protecting oneself from unrighteousness.^[12]

North American

The hair-pipe breastplates of 19th-century Interior Plains people were made from the West Indian conch, brought to New York docks as ballast and then traded to Native Americans of the upper Missouri River. Their popularity spread rapidly after their invention by the Comanche in 1854. They were too fragile and expensive to be considered armour, and were instead a symbol of wealth during the economic depression among Plains Indians after the buffalo were almost exterminated.^[13]

Drag breast plate

This is a silicone or similar type of plastic vest or torso-plate that is placed over the male performer's chest, to mimic a woman's breast or cleavage. They are usually in a colour that matches the performer's own skin or to match an associated costume.^[14]

See also

• Armour
• Cuirass
• Muscle cuirass
• Lance rest
• Linothorax
• Pteruges

Citations