Tournament Helm

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Helms bolted to the breast- and backplate and having large visors with multiple apertures for maximum sight and ventilation were typically used both in the tourney and in foot combat. The former was a mock combat fought by groups of mounted contestants armed with lances and rebated swords or clubs; in the latter, two armored contestants fought on foot within a wooden enclosure, the favored weapons usually being polaxes or swords, their strokes carefully monitored by referees. This helm bears faint traces of a mark, an M surmounted by a crescent, which is thought to be that of Guillem Margot (active in Brussels, recorded 1505–20). The same mark appears on three other elements of armor in the Metropolitan Museum: an armet (acc. no. 29.158.52); and elbow defense, or couter (acc. no. 29.158.1h, where it is struck twice); and the front half of a tournament helm (acc. no. 14.25.572).

Arms and Armor

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The principal goals of the Arms and Armor Department are to collect, preserve, research, publish, and exhibit distinguished examples representing the art of the armorer, swordsmith, and gunmaker. Arms and armor have been a vital part of virtually all cultures for thousands of years, pivotal not only in conquest and defense, but also in court pageantry and ceremonial events. Throughout time the best armor and weapons have represented the highest artistic and technical capabilities of the society and period in which they were made, forming a unique aspect of both art history and material culture.

Metropolitan Museum of Art