Chanfron in Maximilian style, c.1510 (steel)

The chanfron was the primary element that protected and decorated a horse's forehead and face. It consisted of a plate of steel contoured to the horse's head from its ears to its nostrils. Normally, two holes were cut at each side of the forehead for the ears, and earpieces were sometimes riveted around their edges. This example, possibly from Nuremberg, was forged in one piece. It belongs to the transitional period between the Gothic and the fluted armours introduced by Emperor Maximilian. The hinge at the top is for the attachment of the crest plate.