The base was an imitation in steel of the cloth skirt that was sometimes worn over armor. The deep, arched cutouts in front and back allowed the wearer to sit on horseback; the close-set holes along these openings were for the attachment of textile decoration, probably fringe. The etching imitates the elaborate embroidery and cut velvet of fashionable court costume. Skirts of this type were a specialty of the imperial armor workshop in Innsbruck under the direction of Konrad Seusenhofer.
