Henry VIII's horned helmet
| Henry VIII's horned helmet | |
|---|---|
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| Information | |
| Weapon type: | Protective weapon |
| Designations: | The horned helmet |
| Use: | helmet |
| Region of origin / author: |
Austria , master blacksmith Konrad Seusenhofer |
| Particularities: | Mask or larval helmet type |
| Lists on the subject | |
The horned helmet of Henry VIII is a mask helmet from the possession of Henry VIII of England .
description
The helmet is made of steel and brass . He was known by the Plattner Master Konrad Seusenhofer in Innsbruck manufactured / Austria in the years 1511-1514. The helmet belongs to a splendid armor of Henry VIII of England. The armor, which is no longer preserved today, was commissioned by Maximilian I of Austria from Konrad Seusenhofer. It was intended as a present for Henry VIII of England and was one of three similar pieces of which the armor for the later Emperor Charles V has been preserved and is kept in Vienna. The horned helmet is now on display at the Royal Armories in Leeds .
The grotesque shape of the helmet arises from a fashion of the time. These types of helmets are called mask helmets or larval helmets . The horned helmet was possibly worn by its owner on pageants. For posterity, it was temporarily assigned to the court jester William Sommers because of its bizarre shape .
The helmet has a round dome, which consists of several parts that are riveted together . Two hollow worked, made of metal are attached to the upper sides of the helmet driven ram horns mounted gave the helmet his name. The visor is made as a mask . The illustration shows a grinning man's face wearing glasses. The glasses are equipped with round lens frames and can be folded away upwards. The eyes, nose and mouth are sculpted. Both rows of teeth are shown in the grinning mouth. The interdental spaces are cut out and serve to better ventilate the helmet. Further ventilation slots have been worked out around the eyes, in the folds of the nose, near the ears, on the chin and on the forehead. The surface treatment has been done excellently. The whiskers on the chin and cheeks can be seen in close-ups.
literature
- Alan R. Williams , The knight and the blast furnace. A history of the metallurgy of armor in the Middle Ages & the early modern period (= History of Warfare. Vol. 12). Brill, Leiden et al. 2003, ISBN 90-04-12498-5 , p. 456.
Individual evidence
- ↑ The helmet with the horns in the Royal Armories in Leeds / England, available online (accessed on June 29, 2011) ( Memento from March 27, 2015 in the Internet Archive )