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Comb morion, for infantry use, with etched decoration overall. Formed in one piece with a rounded crown that curves down at each side and rises to an exceptionally high, roped, 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 fourteen round-headed lining-rivets with circular, internal washers, all of which are replaced. The central lining-rivet and the lining-rivet immediately behind it on each side retain fragments of the internal leathers that served to attach a missing cheek-piece. The rear two lining-rivets also serve to retain a modern brass plume-holder of South German style, decorated on its body with stamped arabesque scrollwork, and on its arms with stamped rosettes. Welded repairs are in evidence at the right side of the crown, just to the rear of the centre, and at the crest of the comb, at the front and just to the rear of its apex. The brim is pierced with a wiring-hole at the rear, and is cracked once at the left side, and four times at the right side.
The entire surface of the helmet is decorated with etched ornament on a stippled and blackened ground. The ornament on the comb and the crown consists of interlacing strapwork involving trophies of arms and, at the centre of each side of the crown, the bust of a classical warrior. The ornament on the brim consists of stylised acanthus foliage.
History note: Mr James Stewart Henderson of 'Abbotsford', Downs Road, St Helen's Park, Hastings, Sussex
J.S. Henderson Bequest
Depth: 36 cm
Height: 30.8 cm
Weight: 1.65 kg
Width: 23.2 cm
Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1933-03-16) by Henderson, James Stewart
16th Century, Late
Production date:
circa
AD 1580
North Italian
The helmet is bright with a light patination overall. Its ornament shows some wear.
The superbly decorated morion was made for a wealthy and probably aristocratic owner who could afford the extra cost. The etched decoration consists of interlacing strapwork with trophies of arms and busts of classical warriors. The tube at the back was where a decorative plume would have been fitted.
Internal Leathers
composed of
leather
( fragments)
Plume-holder
composed of
brass (alloy)
( modern)
Decoration
Parts
Hammered
: Formed in one piece with a rounded crown that curves down at each side and rises to an exceptionally high, roped, medial comb; and an integral brim that is turned down at each side and curves up to a point at the front and rear; hammered, shaped, riveted, with file-roped, stamped and etched decoration
Patinating
Forming
Accession number: HEN.M.28-1933
Primary reference Number: 18278
Stable URI
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Applied Arts
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/18278 Accessed: 2024-12-21 09:53:50
To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:
{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/18278
|title=Comb morion
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-12-21 09:53:50|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
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-18278
To use this as a simple code embed, copy this string:
<div class="text-center">
<figure class="figure">
<img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/aa/aa25/HEN_M_28_1933_283_29.jpg"
alt="Comb morion"
class="img-fluid" />
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Comb morion</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
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