'Spanish' morion, for infantry use, with etched decoration. Formed in one piece with an almond-shaped crown that is boxed at each side and rises to a prominent, slightly backward-directed point at its apex; and a narrow integral brim that is turned down slightly all round, and projects as a point at the front and rear. The edge of the brim has a file-roped, inward turn accompanied by a recessed border containing twenty-one modern, round-headed rivets. A twenty-second rivet is missing towards the rear of the left side where the border has broken through. The rivets at the front and rear points are fitted with circular, internal washers. The apex of the skull is pierced with three later holes, perhaps for the attachment of an applied ornament. A fourth hole at the front right has been obscured by a welded repair. Welded repairs are also in evidence at several other points within the crown of the skull. The base of the crown is repaired towards the front of the left side with a riveted internal patch. The base of the crown is encircled by eighteen modern lining-rivets of which eleven are fitted with circular or octagonal internal washers. The heads of the rivets are of prominent pyramidal form, changing from a square section proximally to an octagonal section distally. The two sections are separated by filed notches.
The crown of the helmet is etched with four vertical bands of ornament that radiate from its apex. The ornament consists of trophies on a stippled and blackened ground. Each band is enclosed to either side by four narrow, plain bands. The panels between the bands are decorated with circular cartouches bordered by two narrow, plain bands. The cartouches are decorated with classical busts on a stippled and blackened ground. The base of the skull is decorated with a narrow band of guilloche. The brim is decorated with trophies en suite with those on the crown, except in its recessed border which is decorated with running stylised foliage.
History note: Mr James Stewart Henderson of 'Abbotsford', Downs Road, St Helen's Park, Hastings, Sussex.
J.S. Henderson Bequest
Depth: 37.2 cm
Height: 29.2 cm
Weight: 2.23 kg
Width: 25.2 cm
Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1933-03-16) by Henderson, James Stewart
16th Century, Late
Circa
1580
-
1590
North Italian
The helmet is bright with heavy pitting, patination and wear throughout.
Borders
Decoration
Ground
Parts
Hammered
: Formed in one piece with an almond-shaped crown that is boxed at each side and rises to a prominent, slightly backward-directed point at its apex; and a narrow integral brim that is turned down slightly all round, and projects as a point at the front and rear; hammered, shaped, riveted, with recessed borders, file notches, with etched and file-roped decoration on a blackened ground
Patinating
Forming
Accession number: HEN.M.44-1933
Primary reference Number: 18313
Stable URI
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Applied Arts
This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:
The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Spanish morion" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/18313 Accessed: 2024-11-05 19:49:14
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{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/18313
|title=Spanish morion
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-05 19:49:14|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
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