Helmet
Cultureprobably
Chinese
Dateabout 1800
Mediumsteel, brass, and copper
Dimensions19.1 × 20.3 × 25.1 cm (7 1/2 × 8 × 9 7/8 in.); 2 lb (weight)
ClassificationsArms and Armor
Credit LineThe John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection
Object number2014.43
DescriptionFour piece iron, plus top finial. Roughly gilded ring design in front, back, and sides. Bowl formed of two plates joined medially. Lacks its plumeholder.Skull constructed of two plates, seam line covered by iron strips on the outside. Surmounted by a squat columnar finial that once supported a plumepipe for a horsehair spray crest. Thin reinforce across brow, with cutouts for eyes, and a small peak in front. Roughly gilded ring design false-damascened in front, back, and sides. Paired holes around rear and sides probably once attached a padded cloth neck-guard.
Label TextWhen the Mongol empire spread across Asia in the 1200s, it created a vast political and economic network that fostered cultural interchange for centuries to come. Helmets similar to this can be found in Mongolia, China, and Korea, but the closest parallels appear to be Chinese infantry helmets from around 1800—this particular example is fairly plain, suggesting that it was made for an ordinary footsoldier. The finial at the top once held a tube for a horsehair plume. The brim at the front is a feature that originated in the Islamic Middle East, and was imported across the Mongol trade routes to East Asia. The paired holes around the lower edge once held a padded fabric neck-guard.ProvenancePurchased by Museum on January 31, 1933 from Theodore Offerman (NYC). Collection transfer from Higgins Armory, January 2014.
On View
Not on view
Southern German
about 1550
