IDENTIFIERS ----------- id: 18480 accession number: HEN.M.78-1933 DATE AUDIT ---------- created: Saturday 6 August 2011 updated: Wednesday 11 January 2023 DESCRIPTIVE DATA ---------------- object type: Burgonet, made up in modern times from a cut-down skull of a close-helmet, a later peak and a composite neck-defence. Formed of a rounded, one-piece skull, a pivoted peak and a neck-defence of six lames. The top, rear of the skull is decorated with a spray of flutes of v-section, separated by single incised lines. The flutes radiate forward and outward from the nape, and terminate in a transverse, incised line at the front and rear. The lower edge of the skull is cut off straight at the rear, just above the height of the nape. At each temple it retains a short inward-turned section, file-roped with pairs of incised lines. The turn has been crudely cut away in an arch over the brow, and also over the ears. The centre of the skull is pierced just to the rear of the front end of the flutes with a pair of modern transversely-aligned holes. Similar, but slightly smaller pairs of holes are pierced just in front of the flutes, and just above the nape. A single small hole of the same character is pierced a short distance above the latter pair. The lower edge of the skull is fitted at the front with a total of seven rivets, some having flat, internal heads and some flat external heads. Two at either side occupy holes for the original lining-rivets while the remainder serve to plug later holes. At either side of the brow is riveted a modern, plain, circular stud, serving as a stop for the lower edge of the peak. Each side of the skull is pierced near its lower edge with two pivot-holes. The vacant lower one originally served to attach a visor and bevor to the skull when the latter formed part of a close helmet, while the later upper hole is occupied by a pivot with a low, rounded head that serves to attach the peak now fitted to the front of the skull. The head of the right pivot bears traces of a punched rosette design. Both pivots are threaded and retained by internal nuts. That for the right pivot is square, while that for the left is circular. The broad, flat, peak has short, slender arms. Its front edge, which curves forward to an obtuse, central point, has a file-roped inward turn. The turn was formerly accompanied by an etched recessed border which has been hammered and ground out in modern times. The tip of the peak is pierced with a modern wiring-hole. Attached at the nape of the skull is a neck-defence of six downward-overlapping lames of which the last is flanged outwards to form a prominent, almost flat flange that widens slightly towards its centre. The lames are connected to the skull and to one another at their outer ends and centres by modern round-headed rivets with octagonal or square, internal washers, except in the case of the fifth and sixth lames which are connected to one another at their centres by a modern internal leather, secured by a round-headed rivet with a square, internal washer on the fifth lame, and an externally-flush rivet on the sixth lame. Each end of the sixth lame is pierced with a later wiring-hole. The remaining lames of the neck-defence show numerous, mostly earlier holes, which have in many cases been plugged with rivets in modern times. The skull has been cut down from that of a close-helmet. The peak and neck-defence is in itself composed of several disparate elements, all of which have been cut and reworked to their present form. The last two lames show a darker patination than the rest but do not belong to one another. The remaining lames have a common character and possibly common source, but cannot originally have been connected to one another as they are now since the holes in one lame do not relate to those of the next. The sixth lame has been cut from the front plate of a collar. The remaining lames may have been cut from those of a skirt or tassets. title: burgonet NOTES ----- type: history note value: From the collection of Edwin J. Brett. Mr James Stewart Henderson of 'Abbotsford', Downs Road, St Helen's Park, Hastings, Sussex. LICENSING --------- text license status: CC0 image license status: CC-BY-NC-SA OWNERSHIP --------- instutition: The Fitzwilliam Museum department: Applied Arts collection: J.S. Henderson creditline: J.S. Henderson Bequest STABLE URL ---------- url: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/18480 TECHNIQUES ---------- formed of a rounded, one-piece skull, a pivoted peak and a neck-defence of six lames; hammered, shaped, riveted, with incised, fluted, punched, and file-roped decoration hammered TECHNIQUES ---------- patinating TECHNIQUES ---------- formed CATEGORIES ------ category: armour DATING ------ creation date: 1510 - 1520 creation date earliest: 1510 creation date latest: 1520 culture: 16th Century, Early# culture: 16th Century, Late culture: 19th Century CREATORS -------- maker: Unknown DIMENSIONS ---------- dimension: Depth units: cm value: 29.8 dimension: Height units: cm value: 23.5 dimension: Weight units: kg value: 1.146 dimension: Width units: cm value: 23.5 CITATIONS -------- Brett Catalogue ---