Thomas Del Mar - Arms & Armour

291
A SOUTH GERMAN BURGONET, NUREMBERG, CIRCA
1570-80
formed of a one-piece skull rising to a high roped medial
comb, projecting forward to an acutely-pointed peak struck
at its front edge with a maker’s mark consisting of an
escutcheon enclosing a pair of indistinct initials (FC?) over a
star and the quality-control mark of the city of Nuremberg,
fitted at the nape with a slender plume-holder and
obtusely-pointed one-piece neck-guard and at each side
with a hinged cheek-piece shaped at its upper front corner
to fit over the side of the peak, flanged outwards at its
lower edge to serve as a continuation of the neck-guard
and pierced at its centre, within a central boss, with ten
small circular ventilation-holes arranged in rosette
formation, the main edges of the burgonet decorated,
except at the front of the cheek-pieces, with roped inward
turns, its surfaces decorated overall, on a formerly blackfrom-the-hammer
ground (now bright), with variously
raised and recessed bands and borders in the “black and
white fashion” (showing overall wear and minor cracks and
bruises)
32.4cm; 12N in high
Many similar Nuremberg burgonets are preserved in the
Steiermärkisches Landeszeughaus in Graz (P. Krenn 1987,
1987, pp.28-9).
£3000-3500
140
291
292
292
AN ITALIAN ‘SAVOYARD’ HELMET, EARLY 17TH CENTURY
with two-piece skull joined by a low comb, fitted with
pivoting peak drawn-down in the centre, fitted with a Ushaped
face defence pierced with shaped apertures for the
eyes and a small opening for the mouth (the right hand arm
replaced), lower bevor fitted with a hook on the right for
securing the face-defence, and with a single gorget plate at
the front (the rear plates replaced, fitted at the base with a
pierced modern plate, repatinated throughout)
24cm; 9I in high
£2000-2500