Rare armet à rondelle avec demi-bavière de... - Lot 168 - Pierre Bergé & Associés

Rare armet à rondelle avec demi-bavière de renfort, Italie vers 1490-1500. A rare Italian armet, circa 1490-1500. With hemispherical skull rising to an angular low comb slotted for fitting a crest and the rear of the skull extending to form a characteristic narrow tail, fitted with large deep reinforce over the brow, the forward edge with outwardly flanged inward turn, the inner edge cut to form accentuated cusps and fitted with external pivoted hinges for the visor, with internally hinged large cheek-pieces closed by a stud at the chin and almost meeting at the rear, the sides drawn in along the jaw, swept outwards at the base and flared towards the rear, the right-hand cheek-piece replaced, the faceopening finished with an outward turn, studded with lining rivets around the base of the neck and with a later fluted disc-guard and moulded peg fitted over the rear closure, "sparrows' beak" visor formed without breathes and with the arms fitting over the pivot hinges, and complete with a detachable low wrapper formed with two articulated lames. H: 29 cm - L: 32 cm - W.: 19.5 - Wt.: 3110 g. Wrapper Wt.: 450 g. The form of close helmet referred to as an armet is characterised within the 15th century by the unique construction of the sides which are hinged at a point above the ear and closed at the front beneath the lower edge of the visor. The armet is the direct evolution of the earlier bascinet and its sculptural qualities have given it an iconic place in the development of Italian Gothic armour. The Italian armet in its fully developed form is chronicled by Paolo Uccello in his series of paintings of the Route of San Romano painted between 1454 and 1457, and also in a tapestry "The Gathering of the Knights" from the famous suite of ten woven in Bruxelles circa 1500-1515 and depicting the life of David and Bethsabée (Musée de la Renaissance française, Écouen, ECL 1613-1622). Centres of production in Flanders, England, Germany, and Spain copied the Italian armet. The g