Cabasset
Unknown Artist
ca. 1575–80
Medium
Steel, gold, silver
Dimensions
H. 8 1/4 in. (21 cm); W. 8 5/8 in. (21.9 cm); D. 10 1/2 in. (26.7 cm); Wt. 2 lb. 12 oz. (1247 g)
Classification
Helmets
Culture
Italian, Milan
Department
Arms and Armor
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of William H. Riggs, 1913
Accession Number
14.25.1853
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the clangor of Renaissance battlefields with this exquisite *Cabasset*, a helmet crafted in Milan, Italy, around 1575–80. Milan was a renowned center for arms production during the Italian Renaissance, supplying elite armor to soldiers across Europe amid the turbulent Wars of Religion and conflicts with the Ottoman Empire. This open-faced helmet, designed for light infantry like pik or arquebusiers, features a distinctive peaked skull for deflecting blows, offering protection without sacrificing visibility or mobility— for the tag-team chaos of battles involving men on. Forged from ...