HE 02.1 Eisenhut

OBJECT DESCRIPTION

An excellent example of the relatively simple form of iron hat dating from the 14th C and in use in various forms into the 17th C. They were initially made for the rank and file fighting personnel and the style exists even today in the military helmets of WWI, WWII and into the present date. Although made in comparitively large numbers, early surviving examples are rarely found. This example is of very heavy weight and probably was made for siege protection.

The 2" wide down curving brim measures 12 and 5/8" long and 11 3/4" wide with a simple rolled edge. Just above the rim are a series of ten simple round headed rivets which would have secured a inner lining and pad for this heavy helmet. 6 of the rivets are still present and four are missing. Just above this row of liner rivets and at the midpoint from front to back we find on each side a heavier round headed rivet surrounded by a circle of 6 smaller round headed rivets. This no doubt secured the headstrap, remains of which can be seen under the inner washer and possibly may have secured ear pieces. The front of the brim just behind the rolled edge has a later and very small hole for display hanging.

The rim of the brim is sharply struck on the topside of the front a little left of center with an armourers mark consisting of a split cross under which is the letter A on the left and a reversed N on the right. This designates it as from the Milanese Missaglia workshop, a main provider of early armament to the great rulers of the day. The A N marking designates it as the work of Antonio Negroni Missaglia, the son of Tomaso Negroni Missaglia, the founder of the workshop. The Missaglia's supplied fine armor to the great rulers but also supplied many more simple armor parts and in general supplied armament for the entire army from rank and file to commander.

The rounded crown of this helmet is about 6 1/8" high with a slight central ridge from front to back. In form it rises from the brim in an initially basically vertical manner bulging out slightly on the sides at the 2 1/4" mid point and then rounding to the crest. The bulge is more pronounced at the back of the helmet and very slight at the front. The entire helmet has been hammered out from a single and heavy piece and the heavy hammer marks of the armourer are clearly evident on the interior. Although simple in form the weight of this piece would have presented a significant challenge for any armourer and is worthy of its attribution
to the Missaglia workshop.

ARMOURER'S MARK

This is the mark of Antonio Negroni Missaglia, the son of Tomaso Negroni Missaglia who was the founder of the renowned Missaglia workshop of Milan, Italy. It consists of the well known and well documented cross with split legs of the Missaglia workshop under which is the letter A on the left and a reversed N on the right designating the work of Antonio Negroni Missaglia.

See the Katalog der Leibrustkammer, Leibrustkammer, Kunsthistorische Museum, Wien (Vienna), 1976, by Bruno Thomas and Ortwin Gamber. This exact mark is found on a complete armour harness made for Friedrich I, Kurfurst, von der Pfalz who was born in 1425 and reigned 1451-1476. This armour is presently in the Kunsthistorische Museum of Vienna. The armour, designated as number A2 and its marks are described at page 56 thru 58 and the armor itself illustrated on plates 20 and 21. The armour is dated as about circa 1450. Thomas and Gamber's study concludes that the armour was ordered when Friedrich I began his reign in 1451. This complete armour harness has nine different variations of the Missaglia Workshop marks on it's various components. The closing 12 pages of Thomas and Gamber"s Vienna catalog are photographs of armorers marks. The exact mark with the A and the reversed N under a split cross as found on this helmet is also found on many of the main body components of the A2 Vienna armour, and is identical to the mark shown as A2 on the 3rd picture row at the far right. Thomas and Gamber discuss these marks on pages 57 and 58 of their catalog and on page 58 they state that this is the mark of Antonio Negroni Missaglia, the son of Tomaso Negroni Missaglia, the founder of the workshop. Note that the Missaglia family name is Negroni and the A N therefore is the designation for Antonio Negroni. Other components of the main body of the armour also show similar versions with the A and the reversed N under a crown rather than the Missaglia split cross. It would therefore appear that the main body of this armour is the work of Antonio Negroni Missaglia working in conjunction with his father Tomaso Negroni Missaglia whose mark appears on the helmet and shoes. Thomas and Gamber state that the split cross mark with an M underneath is the mark of family founder Tomaso Missaglia. The armour has other small components made by Antonio Seroni, a Milanese partner of the Missaglias

REFERENCES

See the sales catalog of Galerie Fischer Auktionen House, Luzern, Switzerland, Sale 386, September 11-13, 2003.where this exact helmet, denoted as Italian, 2nd Half of the 15th C, is shown in color on Plate 34 and described at page 32.

Also see "A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armor", 1961, by George Cameron Stone. See illustrations and description on page 173 under the title of Chapel de Fer. A simple but practical open helmet worn from the 12th to the 17th century. In particular note the illustrated Metropolitan Museum example, figure 4 on page 173, end of the 15th century and with a form differing only slightly in basic form except that it has a more pronounced central ridge. A similar form without the central ridge but slightly more domed in style is shown as figure 3, described as Italian and 15th C.

Also see "European Armour" by Claude Blair, 1958, at page 199, where a series of line drawings from museum originals illustrate the development and variety of kettle hats. In particular note line 1, Figure 93 on the far right, considered to be south German in manufacture, circa early 16th century and attributed to be the hat worn by reformer Ulrich Zwingli, presently in the Schweizerisches Landesmuseum, Zurich, Switzerland. This hat is almost identical in shape and form as our collection example even to having the same decorative circle of rivets around a central rivet on each side of the crown.

PROVENANCE

From an old Eastern Switzerland private collection to the Galerie Fischer Auktionen, Haldenstrasse 19, Luzern, Switzerland, Auction sale # 386, September 11-13, 2003, lot number 345 to the Castlerock Museum.