ARCHAIC PERIOD, CIRCA FIRST HALF OF THE 6TH CENTURY B.C.

Details

A GREEK BRONZE CORINTHIAN HELMET
ARCHAIC PERIOD, CIRCA FIRST HALF OF THE 6TH CENTURY B.C.
Hammered from a single heavy sheet, of domed form, the neck-guard flaring at the edge, distinguished from the elongated cheek guards by a peaked dart, the eyeholes curving at the upper edge and straighter at the lower, the narrow protruding nose-guard rounded at the tip, with incised bands running along the perimeter, a perforation at the forward tip of the cheek guards
10 ½ in. (26.8 cm.) high

Provenance

with Nancy McGlashan, Kew Gardens, NY.
with Fortuna Fine Arts, New York, 1994.

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Lot Essay

By the late 7th and early 6th centuries B.C., the Corinthian helmet was the most popular choice in headgear, combining an elegant form with maximum protection, leaving just a small area of the warrior's face exposed. The most prevalent form to survive has been dubbed the Myros type after an example found with the name inscribed on it. The type adopted the peaked dart that divided the cheek- and neck-guards, as opposed to the earlier prototype on which the cheek cheek pieces and neck guard were all the same length. This was perhaps adopted from the less popular Illyrian helmet, which was used concurrently (see P. Connolly, Greece and Rome at War, p. 60).

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