A GREEK BRONZE PHRYGIAN HELMET

LATE CLASSICAL TO EARLY HELLENISTIC PERIOD, CIRCA 350-300 B.C.

Details

A GREEK BRONZE PHRYGIAN HELMET
LATE CLASSICAL TO EARLY HELLENISTIC PERIOD, CIRCA 350-300 B.C.
Of heavy hammered sheet, formed of two sections with a riveted horizontal seam where the crown joins the bowl, the high crown curving forward and terminating in a vertical rounded peak, each side with an attached sheet palmette coiled into a thin tube along the forward edge for insertion of plumes, the bowl with a carinated ridge above the flaring rim, the neck-guard extending lower than the visor, its front edge with rounded ear protectors, each with a single perforation, overlapped by pointed projections at the rear of the visor, each side of the rim with two perforations for attachment of the hinged face-guards, naturalistically modelled in the form of a beard and mustache, with rows of curls with incised and stippled detail, the mustache with thin angled incisions along its length, perforations at the front tips and back edges
16 in. (40.6 cm.) high

Provenance

Private Collection, Basel, 1970s.

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Lot Essay

Greek foot-soldiers, known as hoplites, wore about 70 pounds of protective armor, usually of bronze, including a helmet, a corselet for the torso, and greaves for the legs. The Greeks developed many helmet types, whose modern names are usually associated with the region or city where the first examples were excavated, such as Corinthian or Illyrian. The Phrygian helmet takes its modern name from its resemblance to the leather cap with a forward inclined apex worn by Phrygian and Thracian peoples. The Phrygian helmet was first developed in the mid 4th century B.C. and was widely used throughout the Greek world for several centuries.

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