The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 22, 2024

Barbute (from the Venetian Garrison at Chalcis)

Barbute (from the Venetian Garrison at Chalcis)

c. 1350–1420
Overall: 29 x 21 x 25 cm (11 7/16 x 8 1/4 x 9 13/16 in.); Sleeves: 43.2 cm (17 in.)

Did You Know?

This helmet and a number of others were apparently excavated from the Venetian garrison at Chalcis on the Greek island of Euboea.

Description

This is a rare example of a type of helmet used from about 1350 to 1480. Its conical shape deflected glancing blows to the head. Italian chronicles refer to professional men-at-arms as barbuti. The word derives from the Italian barba, or beard, a reference to the hood of mail often attached to these early helmets. The row of small holes along the face opening and neck were for the attachment of the hood and lining.
  • ?-1923
    Bashford Dean, New York, NY
    1923
    (American Art Association, New York, NY, November 23, 1923, lot 246)
    1923-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • American Art Association. Illustrated Catalogue of Ancient Arms and Armor, Stained Glass, Coffrets and Furniture, Authentic Specimens, in Nearly All Instances European. New York: American Art Association, 1923. lot 246
    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. 41, B1; Mention: p. 77, D1 archive.org
    "Bascinet." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 11, no. 3 (March 1924): 51-70 Mentioned: P. 62-63; Reproduced: P.65
    Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms and Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: The Museum, 1998. pp. 34, 44, 165; cat. no. 68
    Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms & Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007. p. 44, 184, cat. no. 40
    Peter Finer (Firm). Peter Finer: [Catalog]. Ilmington, England: Peter Finer, 1995. Mentioned: p. 19
    Gertsman, Elina and Barbara H. Rosenwein. The Middle Ages in 50 Objects. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018. Mentioned: p. 150-153; Reproduced: p. 151
  • Armor Court Reinstallation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer).
    Gothic Art 1360-1440. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 6-September 15, 1963).
  • {{cite web|title=Barbute (from the Venetian Garrison at Chalcis)|url=false|author=|year=c. 1350–1420|access-date=22 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1923.1065