About the Artwork
The sleek, pointed profile of this helmet — described by specialists as a “sparrow’s beak” — would have easily deflected arrows or sword blows. It is a classic example of an armet, a form of visored helmet defined by large cheek flaps that are hinged just above the ears and close over the chin. The pivoting visor, with its slim sight opening, could protect the face when needed or lift to allow better vision and airflow. An additional steel plate reinforces the helmet’s forehead. Armets are usually accompanied by a separate plate defense for the lower face and throat, called a bevor. The circular roundel at the nape of the neck shielded the leather straps that secured this added layer of protection.
The uneven outline of a repair made of copper alloy appears on the tip of the visor’s “beak.” The technique and metal used to patch the steel suggest that this repair was made during the time when the helmet was in use. Today, it vividly evokes the forces that late medieval plate armor was meant to withstand and the damage that helmets could endure while keeping their wearer safe.
Armet
ca. 1490
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Italian
Unknown
Steel
Overall: 10 1/16 × 8 3/4 × 12 3/8 inches, 7.6 pounds (25.6 × 22.2 × 31.4 cm, 3.4 kg)
Arms and Armor
European Sculpture and Dec Arts
Gift of William Randolph Hearst Foundation
53.203
Public Domain
Markings
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Provenance
by 1926, (Samuel James Whawell, London, England);March 3, 1927, purchased by J. Lyttleton from estate sale by (Sotheby's, London, England) lot 322;
by 30 Sept 1928, purchased by William Randolph Hearst [1863-1951] (New York, New York, USA);
1951, bequeathed to the William Randolph Hearst Foundation (New York, New York, USA);
1953- present, gift to the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA).
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Provenance pageExhibition History
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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.
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Robinson, Francis W. "A Gift of Arms and Armor from the Collection of William Randolph Hearst," Bulletin of the DIA, vol. 33, no. 1, 1953-54, pp. 1-5
Sotheby and Company, London, THE MAGNIFICENT COLLECTION OF ARMOR, WEAPONS WORKS OF ART, THE PROPERTY OF THE LATE S. J. WHAWELL, ESQ., May 3, 1927, sales catalogue, p. 60
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Credit Line for Reproduction
Italian, Armet, ca. 1490, steel. Detroit Institute of Arts, Gift of William Randolph Hearst Foundation, 53.203.
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