CIRCA LATE 2ND-FIRST HALF OF 3RD CENTURY A.D.

This rare cavalry parade helmet is one of just a handful to have survived and displays the extraordinary lengths Roman craftsmen went to convey the high status of their patrons. Crafted from a single metal sheet, this helmet is elaborately decorated in extensive repoussé work, including 3 mythical beasts and a gorgoneion. A high crest running along the dome has been fashioned in the form of a sea-griffin, with an eagle's beaked head emerging from the terminus and arching along the length, tapering in a fish or dolphin-like tail above the neck guard. The sea-griffin holds the head of Medusa in its forelegs at the crown. Each side is decorated in high relief with a sea-griffin. Originally all three creatures had now-missing ears riveted in place. The helmet is further ornamented with punched circles and dots along the edges of the dome and rim. With the hinged bronze facemask, which has now been lost, this warrior would have been poised for a dramatic effect in battle or ceremony.

While the Greeks had transitioned into lighter and more open armor to maximize the senses, the Roman cavalry choose to cover their entire face and head, leaving only their eyes, nose and mouth visible. The closest surviving example is the Calvary Sports G type, from Heddernheim, dating to the late 2nd-early 3rd century A.D. It shares the beaked avian terminal (here an eagle) with a face on the crown (see pls. 376-377, pp. 128-129 in H. Russell Robinson, The Armour of Imperial Rome).