Close-Helmet for the Tilt

Close-helmets for the tilt were typically fitted with a large ventilation door on the right side of the upper bevor, whereas the left side, which was more exposed to an opponent's lance, was covered by a reinforce (grandguard) bolted to the breastplate. This example retains its original leather lining straps and adjustable shock-absorbing cross-straps arranged as an X inside the bowl. To the ends of these straps were attached thin laces that passed through holes at the back of the bowl and allowed the wearer to adjust the tension on the straps. The leather-covered lining at the chin is preserved. The graceful lines of the bowl and the pairs of lightly engraved lines around the edges of the plates recall helmets made in the imperial workshops at Innsbruck. (The brow reinforce is missing; the long threaded bolt at the front, intended to affix the grandguard, is a later modification.)