Cleveland Museum of Art

War Hat (or Kettle Hat)

Antonio Missaglia

Date

c. 1475–1500

Medium

steel

Culture

Italy, Milan

Department

Medieval Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Open helmets like this one were in use from the 1200s to the 1400s and are the ancestor of today's common military helmet. Such helmets were worn by foot soldiers as they attempted to scale the walls of an armed town. The slight ridge, or comb, down the center served to improve deflection and increase strength. Antonio Missaglia's workshop created helmets like this for royalty and knights in the region of Milan. Missaglia inherited the workshop from his father, who was also an armorer, and employed craftsmen who specialized in particular types of armor, such as jointed arm defenses or helmets. The rivets along the rim were not only decorative, but a means of attachment for a liner.

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