The manufacture of armour reached its peak during the Renaissance, and Northern Italy was at the forefront; from its workshops, master armourers produced battle-ready, magnificently constructed suits of interlocking plate armour that were not only impervious to most weapons (including early musketry, although that was soon to change as firearms became more sophisticated), but works of art undiminished by the passage of time: the suits that can still be seen in museums are as striking and elegant now as they must have been on the battlefield or parade. The very high level of skill employed in the making of the finest armour, which might feature exquisite engravings and inlays of gold, required craftsmen who were also artists; and even simpler armour, created as it was from steel plates that were forged in the furnace and then cut, shaped, trimmed, and polished to exactly fit every part of the body from the top of the head to the tip of the toe, is still awe-inspiring. Go to any museum with a good collection of armour and just stand amongst the exhibits for a while; you will not fail to feel the eerie power that the armoured suits still emit, as if their plates still vibrated with the distant echoes of battle and combat.
In my book, Hand of Silver, Hand of Gold, the hero, Orlando Novi, is the son of an armourer. And there is a certain weapon, a potent piece of armour, capable of great damage, that plays a very important part in the story.
I hope you will buy the book and discover more. Hurrah for the Renaissance!