Close Helmet with Mask Visor in Form of a Human Face
ca. 1515
Medium
Steel, gold
Dimensions
H. 12 in. (30.5 cm); W. 9 3/4 in. (24.8 cm); D. 13 in. (33 cm); Wt. 4 lb. 12 oz. (2146 g)
Classification
Helmets
Culture
German, Augsburg
Department
Arms and Armor
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1904
Accession Number
04.3.286a
Art Historical Context
Step into the riveting world of Renaissance armor with this *Close Helmet with Mask Visor in Form a Human Face*, crafted 1515 by Kolman Helmschmid, a master armorer from Augsburg, Germany. Helmschmid, part of a renowned family of metalworkers, produced elite pieces for nobility during the early 16th century, plate armor reached its peak of sophistication. This helmet, weighing a sturdy 4 pounds 12 ounces and measuring about 12 inches high, was designed for close combat, fully enclosing the wearer's head for maximum protection while allowing restricted vision and breath through its articulated ...
About the Artist
Kolman Helmschmid · 1471–1532
**Kolman Helmschmid: Master Armourer of the Renaissance** Kolman Helmschmid (1471–1532), born in Augsburg, Germany, emerged from one of Europe's most illustrious families of armourers, the Helmschmieds, whose name aptly means "helmet smith." The son of the renowned Lorenz Helmschmied (active 1467–1515), Kolman trained within the family workshop, taking control after his father's death in 1515 and...