04 Joust Helmet, Italy, c. 1600

Fotogalerie

A tournament helmet for a joust tournament, swivelling on the collar, decorated with etching and gilding. The skull of the helmet has a spherical shape with a low comb. A two-part visor with a front opening. The upper piece with a visor reaches to the temple and reinforces the front. The middle piece, secured with a wing screw, is fitted with four vertical vents on the right side. The chin piece has a protective element for turning on the collar and is connected to the helmet’s skull on the right side by a hinge with a latch.

The entire surface of the helmet is decorated with etched and gilded decorations depicting heraldic symbols – a shield with a chessboard, an eagle with a crown, and a leaping lion. The same heraldic symbols belong to the Italian Mirandola family of Mantua. The chessboard in the central shield is the old family emblem of the Pico family, the crowned eagle is the symbol of the Mirandola estate, and the lion on a field with four horizontal bars is the emblem of the Concordia estate. The owner of this splendid armour may have been Alessandro I Pico della Mirandola.

Height 285 mm, width 315 mm, weight 7 178 g.