Closed helmet Tudor, Greenwich style, 1.6 mm

Product description

The close helmet is a replica of a 16th-century French example. The original is now part of the collection at the Musée de l'Armée in Paris.

At the end of the 15th century, the close helmet developed from the armet and later versions of the sallet. This type of helmet closely resembles the armet and, until the early 17th century, became a symbol of the European aristocracy. It was worn in formal portraits, during tournaments, and on the battlefield by heavily armoured cuirassiers armed with rapiers and wheellock pistols. Like the armet, the close helmet fully enclosed the head.

Although the close helmet looked very similar to the armet, it opened in a completely different way. Like the armet, the close helmet closely followed the contours of the head and neck and narrowed at the throat, requiring a mechanism to open and close it. Whilst an armet opened sideways via two large hinged cheekpieces, a close helmet opened vertically using an integrated rotating bevor, attached at the same pivot points as the visor. The moving parts were usually locked with rotating catches that fit into pierced brackets or with spring-loaded pins. The bevor was often kept closed with a strap.

In the early 16th century, under the Tudors, a new armour style developed in England that would have a major influence on armour throughout Europe. Henry VIII commissioned specialist armourers from France, Italy, and the Holy Roman Empire to work together for him. This resulted in the Greenwich style, where armour—sometimes richly decorated—followed the shapes of contemporary clothing. Around this time, cuirasses and tassets often imitated the fashionable clothing of the period.

To protect the head, full helmets and later burgonets were worn, sometimes adorned with grotesque visors for parades or festivities. Open helmets such as the cabasset or morion also became very popular. By the 17th century, armour across Europe followed this style.

Close helmets in the Greenwich style are characterised by an upward-pointing visor shaped like a ship's prow. Helmets of this style were extremely popular amongst the European aristocracy, and some were elaborately decorated. The crest on this helmet is influenced by the all'antica style that emerged in Italy in the first half of the 16th century. During the Renaissance, there was a particular interest in classical antiquity, which influenced plate armour development. The steel crest stylised the helmet crests of Roman legionaries, permitting the wearer to associate themselves with this glorious past.

Helmets of this kind were worn both in battle and at tournaments. The helmet features a plume holder and a stylised all'antica crest, and is fitted with a large visor incorporating ventilation holes.

The helmet is well-suited to a maximum head circumference of 61 cm and is constructed from steel approximately 1.6 mm thick.