HE 01.2 Visored Bascinet

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

A distinctive type of early visored helmet which afforded full head cover in use in the 14th C and first half of the 15th C. The visored bascinet is a development of the plain or visorless bascinet of the early 15th century. The top of the skull is usually of ogivial or egg shaped form. The bascinet skull of this period is basically very similar to the earlier bascinet example in our collection but with a less pointed top or apex. The earliest visored helmets rise almost straight from the back center to the top point and became more curving forward as they developed. These early visors were usually beak like or pointed in shape. Early Victorian collectors referred to these helmets as "pig faced" or "hound faced" although it is doubtful that they went by that name in their time of use. The earliest visors were attached by a single hinge at the top center of the visor. Later and no doubt for more stability they were attached by a pair of side hinges fastened to pivots at the temple area. The lower part of the helmet would usually have a chain mail "aventail" protective covering for the neck, throat and upper shoulders fastened to the lower base of the helmet by a series of "vervelles" which are protruding rivets with a central hole for a binding cord.

OBJECT DESCRIPTION

This tall visored bascinet is has a 10 1/2" high skull, without any flare at the base and rising in an ogivial form. It is formed with a defined medial ridge running from the center of the base over the top and to the center of the brow of the helmet. The conformation of the skull is very similar to the Churburg Armory visored bascinet shown in plate 11, on page 126, of the "Encyclopedia of Arms and Weapons" 1979, by Leonid Tarassuk and Claude Blair and very similar to the visored bascinet in the Musee de Chartres illustrated by Stephen V.Grancsay in bulletin 110 of the Metropolitan Museum and republished by the Met in "Arms and Armor Essays" , 1986, on pages 468 and 469

The visor is of the usual "pig faced" conformation with a sharply pointed nose extending out about 3" from the face of the visor. The visor is attached by pinned hinges at the sides fastened to a rotating pivot allowing the visor to be lifted. The removable pins are 1 3/4" long with a circular flattened top pierced by a hole. By removing one pin the visor can be swung to one side and by removing both it can be removed. The beak or "nose" of the visor has a total of 18 ventilation or breathing holes, each about 3/16" inch in diameter.. These holes are set in a series of four rows on the right side of the nose and extending back along the side of the visor. There are no breathing holes on the left hand side. The lack of breathing holes on the left side is frequently seen in early visors and was probably to strengthen the side which would be normally struck by a right handed sword, hammer or mace.

Above the nose there are two protruding eye level ridges each of which has a cut out slot for vision about 1/ 3 3/4" wide and 1/8" high. Just below the nose area another bulge denotes the mouth area and has a series of 16 vertical breathing slots each of which is about 1/2" in height with a rounded top and bottom and about 1/8" wide.

Running along the entire base and frontal facial opening of the helmet we find a row of small holes about 3/32" in diameter which were the holes to attach the inner lining and head pad of the helmet. Just above these lining holes and running along the base and lower frontal opening of the helmet we also find a series of 15 "vervelles" or protruding rivets with a central hole for the binding cord to secure the "aventail" or chain mail. A butted chain mail "aventail" is attached to the helmet and fastened to the vervelles with a leather edge lining under the vervelles and over the chain mail and with a leather lacing through the vervelles. The chain mail aventail and vervelle binding appear to be Victorian additions as the chain mail is butted rather than riveted, the binding is not done correctly for the period and the pieces do not exhibit sufficient 15th C. aging.

REFERENCES

The most well known and a very similar example of the visored bascinet is the Churburg Armory bascinet made for one of the Vogts of Matsch by the Milanese workshop of the Missaglia's. See "The Armoury of the Castle of Churburg", 1929, by Oswald Graf Trapp, described and illustrated on pages 21 through 23.

For another very similar example see the full page photographs of the visored bascinet in the Musee de Chartres, illustrated by Stephen V. Grancsay in Metropolitan Museum bulletin # 110 and republished by the met in "Arms and Armor Essays" 1986, at pages 468 and 46.

See also "European Armour and Arms", 1920, by Sir Guy Francis Laking where he discusses the development of the visored bascinet in detail from page 234 through 296. Numerous examples are pictured and in particular note Figure 295 which shows a visored bascinet which is almost identical in form to our collection example. It is attributed to the transition years of the 14th and 15th C (1375 to 1425?) and which is in the Berlin Zeughaus.For a good general discussion of the development of the visored bascinet see the "Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms, 1961, by George Cameron Stone, at pages 102 to 105.

For an illustration of an identical type of early visor hinge pin see "European Weapons and Armour" 1980, by Ewart Oakeshott, at page 119. This example is on an early armet rather than bascinet but illustrates the identical form of easily removable pin attaching the visor to the hinge.

PROVENANCE

Smithsonian National Museum of History, Washington, DC, with Smithsonian collection tag attached showing collection number R2562 H60. De-accessioned in 1980 when they divested European items to concentrate on American history and sold to English Collector Charles Brenner Hogg Jackson with Jackson Collection tag marked CBH Jackson and numbered A1980 0399. C.B.H. Jackson was the writer of "European Hand Firearms" 1923. This visored bascinet was next acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York. It was then examined by English Arms and Armour Expert Ian Eaves, formerly of the Tower of London,who expressed doubt as to whether it is truly 15th C. The Met which had similar helmets in its collection, then de-accessioned this piece and it was sold at the Sotheby's Arms and Armour Sale # 7185, September 23rd, 1998, Lot 340 pictured and described at page 164 and acquired by Castlerock.. Although the opinion by Ian Eaves creates a question as to the period in which this helmet was made, it is obviously correct in type and suffciently well made and correct as to have been part of several of the worlds great collections.