Close Helmet circa 1550-70
English or Flemish. One piece bowl with high deeply roped comb sweeping from the skull, with an engraved line delineating the transition. There is a somewhat later hole in the comb that was used to secure a funerary crest. This has been mostly repaired by means of a welded patch. Visor with divided eye slot with a roped step below and pierced for ventilation below that. The top and front points of the visor cracked with later internal patch and an old patch near the pivot on the right side. Ventail sweeping out to a central point with rolled and roped upper border interrupted on the right side by a notch for the lifting peg for the visor. Visor, ventail and bevor pivoted on common (replaced) bolts. Visor with a replaced lifting peg. Ventail and bevor secured by sneck hooks engaging pierced pegs on the right side. The hooks formed with integral wider areas to make them easier to engage with the finger. Two gorget lames front and back, rear two replaced. Lower edge of the neck lames formed with an inward turned roped roll. This helmet survived because it was used as a funerary achievement over a tomb in an English church, and it shows the typical damage from extensive oxidation and a repaired hole in the crest which would have secured the funerary spike used to secure a crest. There are signs of the funerary paint that was applied in the form of foliate scrolls and bands in gold on grey. This is most obvious on the bevor which would have been somewhat defended from damage by its position. With the exception of the modern replacements, the parts of this helmet are most likely not associated (skull, visor, ventail, bevor and possibly front gorget lames). This is a nice example of a typical English or Flemish type of helmet from the mid 16th century. A similar helmet without the divided sight may be found on RA II.64 an armour from the Earls of Pembroke at Wilton House. That armour is very similar in many details to A-1 in this collection, with which it is displayed. Similar helmets are illustrated in Cripps-Day 1922. Many funerary helmets have been much more heavily adapted when they were hung over the tombs. This one has its original overall appearance. Displayed as part of item number A-1.
Measurements: weight 6 pounds 6.6 ounces (2910g).
All thicknesses vary significantly. The skull varies between .055-.10, mostly .06-.08, bevor mostly around .050, ventail around .060, visor around .040.
Not for sale.
Italian Close Helmet circa 1580
One-piece skull, visor, upper and lower bevor and 3 neck lames front and back. The skull rising to a tall roped comb (small holes near the top of the comb and one small brazed repair) swept slightly back, bordered by incised lines, with circular holes over the each ear in the form of a circle of 8 holes with a central hole. A plume holder is secured to the base of the skull around the back of the crest. The edges of the plume holder decorated with filed notches and cusps, the surface engraved with a series of lines forming downward pointed chevrons. Pointed visor with horizontal vision sight divided centrally, pointed lifting-peg fitting into the upper bevor. The upper bevor fits the visor exactly, the upper edge curved in at the back of the eyeslot. Pierced with circular breaths in the form of a circle of 8 holes with a central hole (matching the holes in the skull, but forming a larger circle). on the right and pivoted at the same points as the chin-piece. Chin-piece and upper bevor secured by hooks which engage in to flattened pegs pierced with a hole. Face hole of the chin-piece bordered by a roped inward-turned roll. Face edge of the skull plain with single engraved line. Lining rivets around the face hole flush on the outside. Three neck-plates at front and rear (lower two rear plates replaced), the bottom ones each with turned and roped border and an additional roped ridge parallel to the border. Similar to the helmet on B-13 from Mantova. Displayed as part of item number A-114.
Weight: 6 pounds 11.2 ounces (3,045 g).
Thickness: Ventail .040-.070 mostly .045-.055. Variable from one spot to the next. Skull mostly .035-.045 in the back and sides, thicker in front. Still quite variable but larger areas .050-.070. Bevor mostly .045-.060 with a few spots on the left side up to .09. In general relatively thin and quite variable.
Not for sale.
Close Helmet circa 1580
Italian or French. One piece skull with high roped comb, visor with single eye slit, ventail pierced with a circle of breaths on the right, and bevor. Bevor with roped inward turned roll at the edge of the face opening. Visor, ventail and bevor pivoted on common pivots. Bevor and ventail secured by hooks on the right. Visor and ventail decorated with single incised lines. Edge of the visor lightly roped. Lining rivets at the forhead and neck edges of the bowl. Front and back with single neck lames, each with outward turned roped border and an additional parallel raised ridge. Visor with lifting peg at the right. Good internal patches in the skull, bevor and ventail. The form of the visor (relatively flat and straight and without a central piece dividing the eyeslit) and ventail (mostly flat without additional form at the pivots or corners of the eye) is similar to the form of the helmets on the French armors that survive in the Musee de L'Armee. It is likely that the rear neck lame is a replacement and the front lame may originally have been from the rear.
Weight 5 pounds 4 ounces (2665g).
Not for sale.
Italian closed burgonet circa 1620
Skull formed of 2 pieces, the right side overlapping the left. Seam forms a crease, not a raised comb. 2 halves are riveted together. Decorative filing at the crease to simulate roping and a pair of parallel lines on each side of the roping. Matching parallel lines on the edges of the peak, bevor and neck lames. Small movable peak of round form. Bevor extending up to cover the cheeks and form a 'Y' shaped hole. Peak and bevor pivoted on the same rivets. Single neck lames at the front and back with rolled lower edges. Rolls decorated with simple filed roping. Bevor secured by later strap and buckle. Overall very light weight like many of the munition morions and open burgonets. Cleaned on the outside, showing remains of modern silver paint on the inside of the neck lames.
It is likely that this helmet originally had a visor. This more complete configuration is illustrated in item number A-381.
Measurements: Weight: 3 pounds 2.6 ounces (1435g).
Not for sale.
Close Helmet mid 17th c.
Two piece bowl, the halves secured by a roll at the top of a short comb. Pivoting brim secured on common rivets with the bevor (rivets replaced). Single neck and tail lames. The edge of the bowl at the face decorated with an inward turned plain roll with parallel single incised line ensuite with the face hole of the bevor. Secondary edges of the bevor and brim with single incised line. Patches in the neck lames. Sneck hook engaging a peg at the right side of the neck to secure the bevor closed. Open face. Significant damage to the left side of the skull. Skull deformed at the back. Interestingly, given this damage, much of the surface of the right side of the skull, brim and bevor may be original - ground smooth and retaining grind marks.
Not for sale.
Close Helmet mid 17th c.
One piece bowl with a low comb. Top of the comb lightly roped. Pivoted brim. Bevor, visor and brim on common pivot points. Simple flat visor. Neck lames front and back. Edge of the brim, neck lames and bottom of the eye slot on the visor with roped rolls. The turns on the brim and neck lames turned inward, the rolls on the eye slot turned outward. Edges of the brim, visor and bevor with single incised line decoration. Visor can be held closed with a sneck hook on the right side. Bevor was likely held closed with a strap and buckle around the neck. Lining rivets lost. Surface appears to have been rough from the hammer, now cleaned. Pivots and neck lame rivets replaced with modern bolts and nuts. My guess is that the piece was disassembled for cleaning, the lining rivets removed and it was reassembled with nuts and bolts. The pivot bolts were decorated to look like nice old pivots. The right side of the brim at the pivot point damaged.
Bowl may be an early conversion - it has a low, tapered, and wide comb shape that is more typical of many late 16th c. Italian helmets. I expect that this illustrates the original configuration of item number A-59. Many of these seem to have lost their visors - quite probably during their working life as open faced helmets became more common.
Not for sale.