Close Helmet for a Boy

Kolman Helmschmid|Desiderius Helmschmid|Daniel Hopfer

ca. 1530–40 · Steel, leather, copper alloy · Arms and Armor

Male children of aristocratic families were traditionally trained in the arts of horsemanship and fencing and began wearing armor at an early age. This finely wrought helmet, the openwork visor of which is clearly not intended for dangerous sport, was made for a boy. The distinctive one-piece visor, with its curved profile and etched ornament in the style of Daniel Hopfer, recalls late works by Kolman Helmschmid of Augsburg.

Artist

Kolman Helmschmid|Desiderius Helmschmid|Daniel Hopfer

Date

ca. 1530–40

Medium

Steel, leather, copper alloy

Culture

German, Augsburg

Department

Arms and Armor

Credit line

Gift of William H. Riggs, 1913