Mantikor, Celtic Leather Cuirass

(About): A Masterwork Leather Cuirass, the Envy of Any Roleplaying Group

Our Mantikor Celtic Leather Cuirass is made by legendary leathermakers Fucina del Drago (‘Forge of the Dragon’). They are a renowned Italian artisan leather shop, who have supplied big-budget TV and film productions with their screen-quality leather armor and accessories – so you know you’ll be wearing only the best! Their master leatherworkers have carefully selected fine 7-8 oz. hard leather for use in constructing this Celtic leather cuirass; this is a good, solid medium-weight of leather, providing a good balance between rigidity (so your armor will fit closely) and flex, so that it remains comfortable all day long.

Stunning Attention to Detail

The design of our Mantikor leather torso is beautifully simple: a hand-riveted leather cuirass consisting of a chestpiece and backplate, tooled with Celtic artwork. But the details are what makes it an absolutely unique piece of leather armor. The torso is a multi-part construction, consisting of a plackart, breastplate and gorget all securely riveted into one wearable piece, as well as a two-piece backplate. The plackart (abdomen armor) is made from two shaped leather panels to give a ridged appearance so your opponent’s blows will be deflected away from your core. It has been properly hemmed so that the edges are robust and finished, capable of standing up to the rough and tumble of roleplay and re-enactment. As well, the edges of the plackart have been tooled with subtle decoration, meaning this armor looks stunning close-to and at a distance. The breastplate is securely hand-riveted to the plackart with brass rivets, and is shaped generously around the arm holes so as to give an excellent range of movement. It is tooled with three Celtic knot designs, inspired by the Irish-Norse knotwork that emerged in devotional artwork in Ireland around the 8th-century CE. The gorget (neck armor) is the finest and most spectacularly inlaid part of this glorious Celtic leather cuirass: is it embossed in relief with two stunning dueling dragons, known in the world of Viking art as ‘great beasts’ – whose tails knot and interweave into their own Celtic knotwork. The gorget extends up into the shoulders with further vegetal designs, drawing on earlier Iron Age Celtic artwork from the La Tène cultures. The backplate is also richly decorated, with two swirling vegetal patterns from the Iron Age rippling across the shoulder blades. You could continue this stylistic motif by pairing our Mantikor Cuirass with other swirling Celtic accessories from our range, such as our stunning reproduction jewellery. At the centre of the back is Fucina del Drago’s anvil makers mark, signifying this as conforming to the most exacting standards of their workshop.

Practical Wearability

As well as being an absolutely stunning piece of armor, the designers at Fucina del Drago have also done their utmost to make sure that this is a thoroughly practical and wearable piece, for use in all roleplay, Renn Faire and re-enactment settings. There are eight leather straps that connect the breastplate to the backplate – two at the armpits, two at the hips, and two at each shoulder. These are robust, tough leather that have been riveted in place, and secured with handsome antiqued buckles. Each one is independently adjustable, allowing an unrivaled variety of fits to a wide range of body types. The plackart also has four eyelets to allow the easy attachment of faulds or chainmail, blending our Celtic leather cuirass seamlessly into the rest of your outfit. It comes in an excellent variety of colours: including a rich natural tan, a striking sable black, a regal burgundy red, and a dappled forest green.

Overall, our Mantikore chest armor is as fierce and unique as the mythical man-headed, poison-stinger-tailed lion beast that it is named after! It’d be a fantastic centrepiece for a fierce Iron Age Celtic warrior, or for a Christian Viking jarl – as well as any number of fantasy outfits. So what are you waiting for? Strap yourself in and go to war!

Love celtic cuirasses? Then check out the Artemis!

Technical Specification:

• • Material: 7-8 oz. leather
  • Secondary material: Leather straps ; antiqued buckles
  • Colors: Brown / black / dark red / green
• Sizing:
  Waist: 38-50 Inches ; Overall Length: 22 Inches