c.1590–1625
Gilded steel (invaded with rust); red velvet lining, plume holder
Overall: 32.4 x 24.8 x 19.1 cm (12 3/4 x 9 3/4 x 7 1/2 in.)
Weight: 1.18 kg (2.6 lbs.)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance 1916.1806
This helmet and gorget has been decorated by fire-gilding, an extremely toxic process that produced a look of great luxury.
This helmet was originally intended for field use. Later, it seems to have served a funerary purpose, probably as an ornament (known as a funerary achievement) suspended over the church tomb of an unidentified knight. As such, it would have been a rich and imposing symbol of the dead knight's social rank and personal authority.
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