In the mid-sixteenth century, armor covered with embossed figures and ornament in the Mannerist style was the specialty of Italian armorers such as the Negroli family of Milan and also of a few workshops in France and Flanders. This beautifully scuptural helmet is a rare example of embossed armor made by German craftsmen. It is very similar in design and workmanship to a parade armor made in 1549–50 by Helmschmid and Sigman for the future Philip II of Spain (1527–1598).
Faint traces of engraved designs and damascening in gold and silver indicate that originally, this helmet was more lavishly decorated and colorful in appearance.
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Title:Burgonet
Armorer:Attributed to Desiderius Helmschmid (German, Augsburg, 1513–1579)
Decorator:Embossed decoration attributed to Jörg Sigman (German, Augsburg, 1527–1601)
Date:ca. 1550–55
Geography:Augsburg
Culture:German, Augsburg
Medium:Steel
Dimensions:H. 11 1/4 in. (28.6 cm); W. 8 3/4 in. (22.3 cm); D. 15 in. (38.1 cm); Wt. 4 lb. 11 oz. (2126 g)
Classification:Helmets
Credit Line:Gift of William H. Riggs, 1913
Object Number:25.135.66
William H. Riggs, Paris (until 1913; his gift to MMA).
Paris. Palais de la Présidence du Corps Législatif. "Notice Sommaire des Objets d'Art exposées dans le Palais de la Présidence du Corps Législatif," April 23, 1874–1874, no. 18 Lent by the Ducheese de Luynes.
Seattle, Wash. Seattle Art Museum. "The Art of Chivalry: European Arms and Armor from The Metropolitan Museum of Art," March 11, 1982–June 6, 1982, no. 14.
Denver, Colo. Denver Art Museum. "The Art of Chivalry: European Arms and Armor from The Metropolitan Museum of Art," July 18–October 10, 1982, no. 14.
San Antonio, Tex. Witte Museum of the San Antonio Museum Association. "The Art of Chivalry: European Arms and Armor from The Metropolitan Museum of Art," November 13, 1982–February 5, 1983, no. 14.
Minneapolis, Minn. Minneapolis Institute of Arts. "The Art of Chivalry: European Arms and Armor from The Metropolitan Museum of Art," May 24–July 31, 1983, no. 14.
San Francisco. Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. "The Art of Chivalry: European Arms and Armor from The Metropolitan Museum of Art," November 5, 1983–January 28, 1984, no. 14.
Detroit, Mich. Detroit Institute of Arts. "The Art of Chivalry: European Arms and Armor from The Metropolitan Museum of Art," April 4–June 17, 1984, no. 14.
Bonnefons de Lavialle and M. Perignon. Tableaux, Esquisses, Dessins et Croquis, de M. Girodet-Trioson, de Divers Ouvrages Faits Dans Son École. Paris: Bonnefons de Lavialle, April 11, 1825.
Société de Protection des Alsaciens et Lorrains Demeurés Français. Notice Sommaire Des Objets D'art: Exposés Dans Le Palais De La Présidence Du Corps Législatif, Le 23 Avr. 1874, Au Profit Des Alsaciens-Lorrains En Algérie. Paris: J. Glaye, 1874. p. 107.
Guérinet, Armand. Le Château Historique de Dampierre: Reproductions en Phototypie; Intérieurs des Appartements de Réception, Détails de Sculpture Ornementale, Mobilier Historique, Peintures, Statues, Cheminées, Bronzes d'Art, etc., etc.. Paris: Armand Guérinet, 1905. pl. 9.
Grancsay, Stephen V. "A Helmet Made for Philip II of Spain." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin (May 1955), pp. 272–80, ill.
Hayward, John F. "The Sigman Shield." The Journal of the Arms and Armour Society (June 1956), p. 34.
Nickel, Helmut. Ullstein-Waffenbuch: eine kulturhistorische Waffenkunde mit Markenverzeichnis. Berlin: Ullstein, 1974. p. 128, ill.
Bernier, Georges. Anne-Louis Girodet, 1767–1824, Prix de Rome 1789. Paris: J. Damase, 1975. (Girodet collection discussed).
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Helmut Nickel, Stuart W. Pyhrr, Leonid Tarassuk, and American Federation of Arts. The Art of Chivalry: European Arms and Armor from the Metropolitan Museum of Art: An Exhibition. New York: The Federation, 1982. pp. 43, 45–46, no. 14, ill.
Grancsay, Stephen V., and Stuart W. Pyhrr. Arms & Armor: Essays by Stephen V. Grancsay from the Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin 1920–1964. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1986. pp. 411–421; fig. 106.1.
La Rocca, Donald J. How to Read European Armor. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2017. pp. 6, 126–9, fig. 140.
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