The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 23, 2024

 Kettle Hat (War Hat)

Kettle Hat (War Hat)

c. 1460
Overall: 30.3 x 25.9 x 17.5 cm (11 15/16 x 10 3/16 x 6 7/8 in.)

Did You Know?

Modern soldiers wear Kevlar combat helmets that weigh four to five pounds. By comparison, this medieval helmet is nearly three times as heavy. Imagine what it would have been like to wear such a heavy piece of equipment on your head during a siege.

Description

Open helmets like this one were used by medieval infantries. The helmet weighs 12-1/2 pounds. This unusual weight was required for siege purposes—such helmets were worn by the men who attempted to scale the walls of an armed town. The rivet holes along the ridge were for the attachment of the liner.
  • ?-1916
    Frank Gair Macomber; Boston, MA, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1916-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Catalogue of Arms and Armour. Vol. 1, 14th & 15th centuries. [Boston, Massachusetts]: [Frank Gair Macomber], [1900-1915]. Mentioned and Reproduced: No. 24 [22] archive.org
    Gilchrist, Helen Ives. A Catalogue of the Collection of Arms & Armor Presented to the Cleveland Museum of Art by Mr. and Mrs. John Long Severance; 1916-1923. Cleveland: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1924. Mentioned: p. 42, B4 archive.org
    Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms and Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: The Museum, 1998. cat. no. 63, p. 165
    Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms & Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007. cat. no. 42, p. 184
  • Armor Court Reinstallation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer).
    European Arms and Armor from the Cleveland Museum of Art (Long-term Loan). Birmingham Museum of Art (organizer) (July 1, 1993-July 1, 1995).
  • {{cite web|title= Kettle Hat (War Hat)|url=false|author=|year=c. 1460|access-date=23 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.1919