Norman Shield

3D-Model made for Historic VR. Featured in "Guildford Castle VR". https://youtu.be/wBup-FJa6IA
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Happy New Year!
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The Norman Invasion of England in 1066 and the Battle of Hastings marked a significant moment in English history. In an attempt to reconstruct the appearance of the shields used by the Normans during this time, I have turned to the Bayeux Tapestry as a primary source of inspiration, as well as other artwork. No almond-shaped shields of this type have been found, with the exception possibly being the shields found in Szczecin, Poland (see Roland Warzecha's fantastic research!) and a few other examples, albeit from a later date, such as the Seedorf shield.
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There is evidence to suggest that the shape of the shield originated in the East and was later introduced to the West by the Byzantines, although that's still a matter of debate.
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The length is about 127 cm and matches the reconstructed length of the Szczecin shields, while also being compatible with the depictions on the Bayeux Tapestry.
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The shield-patterns are based on the various depictions on the Bayeux Tapestry, too. They are dominated by spiral-like designs. Apart from those, dragon or serpant designs appear as well, which very well could be remnants of the Draco standard that the Romans adopted either from the Dacians or eastern people like the Sarmatians. It is possible that some of the designs would have been even more intricate and elaborate.
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For this project, I decided to take on the challenge of completing all of the texture and height details entirely in Substance Painter, without the use of ZBrush. This approach not only saved time, but also allowed me to make use of previously created smart-materials that utilize the anchor and non-destructive tools in Substance Painter to easily add and adjust various details, such as wear & tear, in a flexible and reusable manner.
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3D-Model made for Historic VR. Featured in "Guildford Castle VR". https://youtu.be/wBup-FJa6IA