Unknown Cuff from the Netherlands

Collector Berry from the Netherlands recently bought the cuff pictured below.
He is looking for information about it. Can anyone help?

Joe

The firm "Fetters" made and still makes a cuff along this style called the "Chalet" cuff which is said to have been based on an ancient French design, (although the Fetters repro locks with a built in screw key mechanism).

My research into ancient and Medieval restraints shows that this rigid style of hand iron is not likely French in origin, (although there is probably no doubt the French made and used this style of cuff), but is fact German or Swiss.

A number of Medieval period German, Swiss, and even Dutch cuffs were made in this style with the Germans seeming to have a particular fondness for this hand against hand type of restraint. This design in time spilled over into the more modern "Berliner" family of restraints.

The reasons for this are as follows:

- It placed the wearer into a more rigid position of restraint

and, perhaps more importantly...

- With the hands in this position the fingers and thumbs were perfectly aligned for the application of torture instruments such as thumb or finger screws which were by far the most prominent torture devices of the Medieval period and were much favored in Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. The cuffs could be applied with the fingers and thumbs facing forward with no way to move them out of harms way. In short, it made the torturer's job much easier.

These cuffs pictured above have the familiar "cup shackle" type of locking sleeve that permits either a single padlock to secure the restraint or the application of a chain which is threaded through the cross shaped cut out. This made it possible to shackle a person to other manacles, a torture bench, a dungeon wall, etc.

I am of the opinion that the cuff pictured above likely dates to the mid 16th century.

It is a nice restraint and the kind that is main focus of collecting.

I only wish I had found it first

Steve Santini

Collector Berry from the Netherlands recently bought the cuff pictured below.
He is looking for information about it. Can anyone help?

Joe

Repros of this design out there but usually not with such finely hand forged hinges.

S.S.

Collector Berry from the Netherlands recently bought the cuff pictured below.
He is looking for information about it. Can anyone help?

Joe

Santini has lost his mind again. The pictured cuff is new.

Collector Berry from the Netherlands recently bought the cuff pictured below.
He is looking for information about it. Can anyone help?

Joe

It would be good to have some closeups, but I'd say it's too well made for 16th century. I don't think it's a repro either.
My guess is early 19th century (1840s, maybe). There's a degree of "trust" in the material that allowed the makers to make it thinner than before. Hinges are very well made, too.

Nils

Collector Berry from the Netherlands recently bought the cuff pictured below.
He is looking for information about it. Can anyone help?

Joe

I wish I could handle them or see closeups of the other side of the locking tabs, and particularly the bends.

The body of the cuffs is very nice, and the hinges are gorgeous; very finely made.

The cuff bodies and particularly the collar, appear to have been Japanned (a thin black paint). On the last photo, you can see a kidney shaped chip where the japanning has flaked off and patinated steel can be seen underneath. Neither the japanning nor the chip are recent. What I'm seeing could also be a heavy oxide patina, but the collar, in particular, looks japanned. Japanning, in Europe, dates back to the 16th Century, but is still done.

The tabs have me somewhat concerned. I'm trying to convince myself whether I see evidence of arc welding. In photo 1, both tabs appear misaligned by about 1mm. This would be difficult to achieve in blacksmithing, since the tabs would have been bent. The very sharp inside corner is somewhat inconsistent with blacksmithing. You can achieve it, but it has no purpose where a tight radius would work, and it weakens the bend. It would be consistent with welding from the back. There appears to be a heat effected zone along the bend.

In photo 3, at the bend of the tab, is what appears to be a welding crater. It appears circular, and has what appear to be circular waves in the metal, typical of a weld puddle.

The tabs are exceptionally clean. Perhaps they have been recently cleaned up, but they show no sign of the japanning evident on the body and the collar. Neither do they show the rust one might expect in this location.

I can't tell if what I see are artifacts of the photography, or if they accurately represent the state of the metal. It is possible the cuffs have been recently rebuilt.

The body and collar appear old. The tabs scare me just a little. About all I can say, is they should be given the old gimlet eye.

Collector Berry from the Netherlands recently bought the cuff pictured below.
He is looking for information about it. Can anyone help?

Joe

Dennis, I think you are looking at these way too hard; they look very old and perfect to me. Just my two cents.

Cheers, Mike D~C/

Collector Berry from the Netherlands recently bought the cuff pictured below.
He is looking for information about it. Can anyone help?

Joe

Why would one expect to see rust or "Japanning" on the tabs when they are enshrouded in a sleeve and any rust or other surface paint/crap/"Japanning" would have been rubbed off by constant removal and re application of the locking sleeve?

I thought they looked right when I first saw them and I still think so now.

I guess it helps when you personally own things from this period and are able to actually study them in person to know how they can look in numerous variations and also how they appear with varied states of wear.

Steve Santini

Collector Berry from the Netherlands recently bought the cuff pictured below.
He is looking for information about it. Can anyone help?

Joe

Dennis,
Glad to know I am not the only one with critical eye for detail. I know on the surface this might appear to you as suspect as there were a few things that raised my eye brow. I downloaded the pictures and enlarged them to make it easier on my poor eyes. The 1 mm misalignment is consistant on the other half also and if you look, you can see the other edge on the same half is the same. So this uniformity means it was intentional in my book. The other thing I noticed is where you say it is misaligned, it is rounded. I know it looks like pooling from welding but the other corners are the same way. What is probably throwing you off as it did me until I looked at some of the other edges, the middle plate, has marks from being hit by some edge. I expected the 90 degree bends on each side of the cuffs to have some curvature but they are square and clean. I suspect when they were forged, this was intentional and the inside angle might have been filed so the cap fits without any interference with the cap. Like you, I would like to see better pictures of cuff but I am leaning towards as being real. My question would be is why the cross has sharp corners on the ends of the cross. The chain links passing through were more than likely round, not square. I went through my archive looking at pictures and of past, the Swedish ones has rounded corners and another picture showed just a square for chain to pass through.

@Santini, I don't quite completely agree that the cuffs were used specifically with the palms facing one another. I think they were more used as the palm of one hand facing the back of the other hand.

Collector Berry from the Netherlands recently bought the cuff pictured below.
He is looking for information about it. Can anyone help?

Joe

Dorson. I am a amatur on the PC and I onley can send mor detail pictures by E-mail. If You whant I wil send more pictures. I am a collector and have about 250 cuffs and the antique ones a like most. these irons I bought on a aantique armsfair in Germany a few day past. I was there because I am a antique arms collector for more than 40 years. So what I can see is that the patin finish is real an that they are very secure and wel made typical Europe made.

Thanks again
god bless you
Berry

Collector Berry from the Netherlands recently bought the cuff pictured below.
He is looking for information about it. Can anyone help?

Joe

Why would one expect to see rust or "Japanning" on the tabs when they are enshrouded in a sleeve and any rust or other surface paint/crap/"Japanning" would have been rubbed off by constant removal and re application of the locking sleeve?

If the cuffs are stored for long periods with the collar in place, it's a place for moisture to collect and leave rust or pitting. It's not like these things are constantly being put on or taken off.

I guess it helps when you personally own things from this period and are able to actually study them in person

Absolutely. No argument there. It would also help to be able to handle the cuffs in question, see them in different light, etc. There's no substitute.

The 1 mm misalignment is consistent on the other half also and if you look, you can see the other edge on the same half is the same. So this uniformity means it was intentional in my book.

I saw and thought of that. It's just that that tiny lip seems to be too small to be of any particular use. It may be related to the rounded rim, which appears to have been upset. In that case, the tabs would have been filed smaller, and the rim heated and hammered to thicken it a tiny bit. That would explain the offset perfectly. A glance at the other side of the cuffs would confirm that in an instant.

I know it looks like pooling from welding but the other corners are the same way. What is probably throwing you off as it did me until I looked at some of the other edges, the middle plate, has marks from being hit by some edge.

It probably is mechanical damage, like the series of dings around the edges. The "pooling" may just be an artifact of the light.

I expected the 90 degree bends on each side of the cuffs to have some curvature but they are square and clean. I suspect when they were forged, this was intentional and the inside angle might have been filed so the cap fits without any interference with the cap.

I think you're right. Looking again at the collar, I see the inside edge is sharp. The bottom was apparently filed, removing the inside radius one would expect from forging. The tabs would then need to be filed to fit.

Like you, I would like to see better pictures of cuff but I am leaning towards as being real.

Hell, I'd just like to see more and better pictures, because they are neat cuffs. I agree, I think they are real. I suspect the owner DID apply the ol' gimlet eye.

This "mini-argument" has been helpful to me. Thanks all.