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Close helmet: HEN.M.65-1933

Object information

Awaiting location update

Maker(s)

Unknown (Uncertain)

Entities

Categories

Description

Close helmet, for heavy cavalry use, with later embossed and chased decoration. Formed of a skull with a visor, upper bevor and bevor attached to it by common pivots; one front gorget-plate and three rear gorget-plates. The one-piece skull rises to a high, roped, medial comb. Its face-opening shows later trimming. It is pierced at each side with nine circular ventilation-holes in rosette-formation, and at the nape with a pair of holes for a missing plume-holder. The visor slopes forward at the brow to a centrally-divided vision-slit, and is fitted at the right side with a modern lifting-peg. The right of the prow-shaped visor is pierced with nine circular ventilation-slots in rosette-formation. Its upper edge is cut with a V-shaped notch to accommodate the lifting-peg of the visor. The bevor is strongly shaped to the chin. The edge of the face-opening has a file-roped inward turn. Modern swivel-hooks and pierced studs riveted at the right side of the helmet secure the upper bevor to the bevor, and the bevor to the skull. The front gorget-plate is restored. A further two front gorget-plates would originally have existed. The lowest lame of the rear gorget-plate is also restored. It has a plain inward turn at its lower edge.
The helmet is decorated overall, except on the rear gorget-plates, with bands of stylised scrolling foliage and fabulous beasts involving oval circular cartouches containing classical figures and busts, embossed in low relief and chased against a stippled ground. The main bands are separated by narrow bands of guilloche which are repeated at the upper and lateral edges of the rear gorget-plates.

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: 32.3 cm
Height: 31 cm
Weight: 3.15 kg
Width: 23 cm

Acquisition and important dates

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

Dating

16th Century
19th Century-20th Century#
Circa 1570 - Circa 1800 - 1933

Note

The helmet is bright with a medium patination overall.

People, subjects and objects depicted

Components of the work

Decoration
Ground
Parts
Skull

Materials used in production

Steel

Techniques used in production

Hammered : Formed of a skull with a visor, upper bevor and bevor attached to it by common pivots; one front gorget-plate and three rear gorget-plates; hammered, shaped, riveted, with file-roping, embossed and chased decoration on a stippled ground
Patinating
Formed

Identification numbers

Accession number: HEN.M.65-1933
Primary reference Number: 18396
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Wednesday 11 January 2023 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) "Close helmet" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/18396 Accessed: 2024-10-04 01:33:52

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/18396 |title=Close helmet |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-10-04 01:33:52|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-18396

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