Falling Buffe
This type of face defense is called a falling buffe because its segments can be collapsed downward to allow for easier breathing and greater visability, or locked in an upright position to fully protect the face. It was probably made by the celebrated Augsburg armorer Kolman Helmschmid in about 1525 and is very similar in form and decoration to another helmet in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, also attributed to Helmschmid, which is a type known as a closed burgonet (accession number 27.159.18). Both that helmet and this buffe came from the armory of the Dos Aguas family in Valencia, Spain.
Artwork Details
- Title: Falling Buffe
- Armorer: Attributed to Kolman Helmschmid (German, Augsburg 1471–1532)
- Date: ca. 1525
- Geography: Augsburg
- Culture: German, Augsburg
- Medium: Steel, textile (wool, canvas)
- Dimensions: H. 10 in. (25.4 cm); W. 8 1/2 in. (21.6 cm)
- Classification: Armor Parts-Buffes
- Credit Line: Gift of George D. Pratt, 1927
- Object Number: 27.159.19
- Curatorial Department: Arms and Armor
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Kolman Helmschmid
ca. 1520
Kolman Helmschmid
1534–36
Kolman Helmschmid
ca. 1520
Kolman Helmschmid
ca. 1510–20 and later
Kolman Helmschmid
ca. 1525
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