Close-Helmet for the Field

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

In the 1560s it became fashionable in Italy to cover an armor with multiple narrow bands of foliate ornament, a practice carried to the extreme in this example. The presence of a large reinforcing brow plate on a close-helmet of this date is highly unusual, but it is found on similarly decorated armors made for the court of Ferrara. (The front collar lames are missing.)

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