A gauntlet is an armoured glove designed to protect the hand and wrist in combat. In its classic form it is made of articulated steel plates riveted together over a leather or textile glove, with a flared cuff covering the lower forearm, though the term is also used for long-cuffed leather gloves worn by cavalry, falconers and riders.
Plate gauntlets developed in Europe during the fourteenth century as full plate armour replaced mail, and they took various forms, including the mitten gauntlet, in which the fingers were covered by overlapping lames, and the fingered gauntlet. Gauntlets were made in the great armour centres of Italy and Germany and were often decorated with etched or embossed ornament matching the rest of the armour. Throwing down a gauntlet became a symbol of challenge. From the nineteenth century, the romantic taste for medieval history encouraged collectors and country-house owners to display armour in halls, and many decorative replicas were made at this time. Genuine early gauntlets are rare and valuable, so collectors examine construction, rivets, wear and the quality of metal closely. Victorian and later reproductions have their own decorative appeal, especially in a hall or library setting.
