Artwork Page for Cuirassier's Armor: Helmet

Details / Information for Cuirassier's Armor: Helmet

Cuirassier's Armor: Helmet

c. 1600–20

Austria, Graz(?), early 17th century

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Medium
steel (originally blued, now black); leather straps
Measurements
Overall: 171.4 cm (67 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 2012.37.a
Public Domain
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Location
210A Armor Court
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Did You Know?

When assembled, this suit of armor is just over 5-1/2 feet tall.

Description

The cuirassier was the heavy cavalryman of the late 1500s and early 1600s. Carrying pistols and a sword, he was clad in full armor, with the exception of his lower legs, which were protected by heavy riding boots. Shortly after 1650, such heavy cavalry armor disappeared from use. By then, European cavalries had abandoned full armor as impractical against the increased sophistication of firearms.
This blackened steel helmet features a rounded dome topped with a narrow crest. Beneath a small brim, two horizontal eye slits sit above a pointed visor with vertical ventilation bars. The wide neck guard flares outward, its perimeter studded with small, rounded rivets. A leather strap and buckle wrap around the base near a small hook, the entire surface displaying a dark, somber patina with faint iridescent highlights.

Cuirassier's Armor: Helmet

c. 1600–20

Austria, Graz(?), early 17th century

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