A breastplate is a piece of plate armour shaped to protect the front of the torso. Usually forged from a single sheet of iron or steel, it was often worn with a matching backplate, the two together forming a cuirass, and it was the central element of a full harness of armour.
Plate breastplates developed in Europe during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, and their profile changed with fashion, from the rounded forms of the Gothic period to the pronounced central ridge and peascod shape of the later sixteenth century. As firearms improved, armour was progressively reduced, but breastplates and backplates remained in use with cavalry, and polished cuirasses are still worn by the Household Cavalry on ceremonial duty. Many armours seen on the market are nineteenth-century decorative assemblies or Victorian reproductions made for halls and staircases, so collectors examine construction, wear, rivets and any armourer's marks carefully. The term is also used for the ornamental silver plaque hung on the front of a Torah scroll in Jewish ritual. In interiors, a breastplate mounted on a wall or stand brings a strong sculptural note to an entrance hall or library.
