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Comb morion: HEN.M.27-1933

Object information

Current Location: In storage

Maker(s)

Unknown (Style of)

Entities

Categories

Description

Comb morion, for infantry use, with etched decoration overall. Formed in two halves joined medially in an overlap that is brazed along the crest of the comb and secured by four externally-flush rivets at the front and rear of the brim. It has a rounded crown that curves down at each side and rises to an exceptionally high medial comb; and an integral brim that is turned down at each side and curves up to a point at the front and rear. The edge of the brim has a file-roped inward turn accompanied by a narrow, recessed border. The base of the crown is encircled by eighteen modern, round-headed, brass lining-rivets with circular, internal washers retaining a modern buff-leather lining-band. The comb has a large, welded patch on one side of one end. The front and rear ends of the brim have each suffered slight damage.
The entire surface of the helmet is decorated with etched ornament. The ornament on the comb and the crown consists of trophies and musical instruments separated by radiating darts, all on a stippled and blackened ground. The two rows of darts on the crown are separated by a narrow, transverse band interrupted at intervals by alternating circles and ovals enclosing four-petalled flowerheads. The top of the comb and the top and bottom of the crown are bordered on each side by a narrow band of guilloche enclosed by a pair of narrow, plain bands. The base of the crown is decorated on each side by a demi-flowerhead within a border, and the top of the crown by similar, but smaller, demi-flowerheads separated by the upper row of darts. The ornament on the brim consists of stylised acanthus foliage and pellets on a hatched and blackened ground.

Notes

History note: Mr James Stewart Henderson of 'Abbotsford', Downs Road, St Helen's Park, Hastings, Sussex.

Legal notes

J.S. Henderson Bequest

Measurements and weight

Depth: 38.4 cm
Height: 34.7 cm
Weight: 1.88 kg
Width: 24.6 cm

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1933-03-16) by Henderson, James Stewart

Dating

19th Century
Circa 1800 - 1900

Note

North Italian style

Components of the work

Lining-band composed of leather ( modern)
Rivets composed of brass (alloy)
Borders
Decoration
Parts

Materials used in production

Steel

Techniques used in production

Hammered : Formed in two halves joined medially in an overlap that is brazed along the crest of the comb and secured by four externally-flush rivets at the front and rear of the brim; hammered, shaped, riveted, cast, with chiselled, file-roped, etched, gilded and voluted decoration
Forming

Identification numbers

Accession number: HEN.M.27-1933
Primary reference Number: 18276
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Tuesday 25 February 2020 Last processed: Friday 8 December 2023

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Comb morion" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/18276 Accessed: 2024-11-08 18:58:47

Citation for Wikipedia

To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:

{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/18276 |title=Comb morion |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-08 18:58:47|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

API call for this record

To call these data via our API (remember this needs to be authenticated) you can use this code snippet:

https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/api/v1/objects/object-18276

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