Collection Online as of September 26, 2023

Triple-Crested Burgonet

c. 1560–70

Part of a set. See all set records

Germany, Augsburg (?), 16th century

Steel, leather bands

Overall: 28 x 30.2 x 21.3 cm (11 x 11 7/8 x 8 3/8 in.)

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance 1916.1804.a

Location

210A Armor Court

Fun Fact

The open face of the burgonet meant it was a lighter and cheaper to manufacture than closed face helmets, it also allowed the wearer to see more freely, the trade off was less protection for the face.

Description

Popular throughout the 1500s and 1600s, the burgonet was a light, open headpiece favored by cavalry and infantry alike. Its main features are a peak over the eyes and hinged cheekpieces that fasten with a strap or lace under the chin. The basic helmet lent itself to variations of design or ornamentation. This version, with its triple crests, is known to have been produced in Augsburg. The style was worn by the bodyguard of Emperor Charles V (ruled 1519-56).

Provenance

?-1916

Frank Gair Macomber (1849-1941), Boston, MA, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art

1916-

The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Citations

Catalogue of Arms and Armour. [Boston, Massachusetts]: [Frank Gair Macomber], 1900. cat. no. 306 archive.org

Cleveland Museum of Art, and Helen Ives Gilchrist. Handbook of the Severance Collection of Arms and Armor. Cleveland, O.: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1925. Cat. no. A7 archive.org

Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms and Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: The Museum, 1998. p. 74, 165, cat. no. 58

Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms & Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007. p. 90, 184, cat. no. 49

Exhibition history

Armor Court Reinstallation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer).