Close-Helmet for the Tournament

Unknown

late 16th century · Steel, leather, textile · Arms and Armor

This helmet seems to have been designed for foot combat at the barriers, a sport in which pairs of contestants wearing armor only to the waist (hitting below the belt was forbidden) fought with pikes or swords over a separating wooden barrier. A brow reinforce was originally riveted to the visor. The long threaded bolt projecting from the upper bevor is a later working-life addition apparently intended to affix a reinforce (buffe) for mounted use in the tourney. The bowl and bevor retain their original linen-covered padded linings and shock-absorbing suspension straps between the bowl and the lining.

Artist

Unknown

Date

late 16th century

Medium

Steel, leather, textile

Culture

German, probably Augsburg

Department

Arms and Armor

Credit line

Gift of William H. Riggs, 1913