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Portions of a Jousting Helmet

Steel helmet with brass stripe trim, leather ties.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • Steel helmet with brass stripe trim, leather ties.

Date:

1570/80

Artist:

Italian; Milan

About this artwork

The manufacture of armor was a highly complex task requiring great skill and expertise. The visor and bevor were part of the armor worn in the joust, a type of sporting combat fought between pairs of mounted contestants who tried to unhorse each other using lances. The visor was a movable plate attached to the helmet to protect the face, while the bevor was used to shield the chin and upper throat. Here the right side of the bevor is fitted with a small door that could be opened by the wearer for additional ventilation between jousts. Although designed primarily with protection in mind, the pieces are also decorated with etched and gilt motifs of figures and foliate strapwork. The etching invites comparison with prints of the period.

Status

On View, Gallery 239

Department

Applied Arts of Europe

Title

Portions of a Jousting Helmet

Place

Milan (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 1560–1590

Medium

Steel, gilding, and leather

Dimensions

H.: 40.6 cm (16 in.)

Credit Line

George F. Harding Collection

Reference Number

1982.2493

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/112092/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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