Lot 25
25
A GREEK BRONZE PILOS HELMET WITH WINGS
A GREEK BRONZE PILOS HELMET WITH WINGS
A GREEK BRONZE PILOS HELMET WITH WINGS
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A GREEK BRONZE PILOS HELMET WITH WINGS
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A GREEK BRONZE PILOS HELMET WITH WINGS

MAGNA GRAECIA, CLASSICAL TO HELLENISTIC PERIOD, CIRCA 400-200 B.C.

Details
A GREEK BRONZE PILOS HELMET WITH WINGS
MAGNA GRAECIA, CLASSICAL TO HELLENISTIC PERIOD, CIRCA 400-200 B.C.
10 ½ in. (26.8 cm.) high
Provenance
Axel Guttmann (1944-2001), Berlin, acquired in London, 1989 (Inv. no. AG291/H69).
Antiken der Sammlung Axel Guttman, Auktion 57, Hermann Historica, Munich, 22 April 2009, lot 327.
Acquired by the current owner from the above.
Literature
M. Burns, "Graeco-Italic Militaria," in M. Merrony, ed., Mougins Museum of Classical Art, Mougins, 2011, p. 208, fig. 78.
"Picasso, Klein, Gladiator…," Nice-Matin, 3 March 2013, p. 33.
R. Hixenbaugh, Ancient Greek Helmets: A Complete Guide and Catalog, New York, 2019, pp. 532, 716, no. H242.
R. Holmes, "Ancient Greek Helmets: 8 Types and their Characteristics" (online article, thecollector.com, 2020).
Exhibited
Musée d'Art Classique de Mougins, 2011-2023 (Inv. no. MMoCA266).

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Lot Essay

This ornate helmet features wings and a band of disc appliques above the lower band. The now-missing central disc might have been more elaborate, possibly depicting a gorgoneion, as seen on other examples (see no. 77 in Burns, op. cit.). Above there is a rivetted ring flanked by two pairs of holes, likely for further embellishments. The crest-holder on the top of the peaked crown is in the form of a double wheel.

The addition of wings on helmets are primarily seen on examples from South Italy and were thought to be worn by the cavalry rather than hoplites. Thus the wings were meant to reinforce the message of the swiftness of a horse (Hixenbaugh, op. cit., p. 224).

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