This round helmet with a crest and no visor belongs to the type known as a burgonet and is rightly considered one of the masterpieces produced by the armourers of Renaissance Italy. Fashioned from a single piece of iron using a technique that had already been lost by the end of the 16th century, it is embellished with magnificent chasing, browning and gilding. Made in the Milanese workshop of the Negroli dynasty of armourers, this helmet belonged to Duke Guidobaldo II of Urbino (1514–1574), a member of the House of La Rovere. The Duke is depicted with this helmet in a portrait that belonged to the miniature collection of Archduke Ferdinand of Tyrol. The helmet was part of a set that included a breastplate, also shown in the portrait, and pauldrons (shoulder guards) in the form of lions’ heads. There are pauldrons like that in Hermitage collection and they may be the very ones.
Title:
Burgonet Helmet
Place of creation:
Date:
School:
Material:
Technique:
chased and gilded
Dimensions:
h. 22 cm
Acquisition date:
Entered the Hermitage in 1836; purchased from a private person
Inventory Number:
З.О.-6159
Category:
Collection:
Subcollection:
