Comb Morion

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This example is one of a series of morions etched with the arms of the cooper's guild: a pair of compasses opened above a short-handled cooper's ax and supported by two goats. Helmets emblazoned with the heraldic arms of an individual ruler, an aristocratic house, or even a municiplity are commonplace (see, for example, acc. nos. 04.3.219, 04.3.222, 14.25.532, and 29.156.46), but this group is the only one recorded as bearing the emblem of a craft guild. These helmets are traditionally said to come from Cologne.

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