Art Institute of Chicago

Close Helmet for the Tourney

South German; Augsburg

Date

c. 1580

Medium

Steel, brass, and leather

Culture

Augsburg

Department

Applied Arts of Europe

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

This helmet was used in the sport of the tourney, a mock battle on horseback or on foot. To protect against dangerous trusts entering under the helmet’s neck plates, the helmet’s collar is designed to rotate on a rim that closes over the separate gorget or neck defense. Though this allowed for some lateral head movement, it was a more restrictive alternative to the overlapping plates on close helmets for the field of battle. The upper visor is reinforced with an additional plate to deflect strikes from a lance or sword. This reinforce was repaired with a riveted and braised patch covering the left visor pivot; together, with sword cuts over the comb or center ridge of the helmet, this repair suggests this piece received some heavy use.

The authoritative record is held by Art Institute of Chicago. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.