Lot 20
20
A GREEK BRONZE PILOS HELMET WITH A CREST AND HORNS
A GREEK BRONZE PILOS HELMET WITH A CREST AND HORNS
A GREEK BRONZE PILOS HELMET WITH A CREST AND HORNS
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A GREEK BRONZE PILOS HELMET WITH A CREST AND HORNS
5 More
A GREEK BRONZE PILOS HELMET WITH A CREST AND HORNS

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

Details
A GREEK BRONZE PILOS HELMET WITH A CREST AND HORNS
MAGNA GRAECIA, CLASSICAL TO HELLENISTIC PERIOD, CIRCA 400-200 B.C.
16 in. (41 cm.) high
Provenance
Axel Guttmann (1944-2001), Berlin (Inv. no. AG555/H193).
Antiken der Sammlung Axel Guttman, Auktion 60, Hermann Historica, Munich, 13 October 2010, lot 2160.
Acquired by the current owner from the above.
Literature
M. Burns, "Graeco-Italic Militaria," in M. Merrony, ed., Mougins Museum of Classical Art, France, 2011, p. 212, fig. 89.
R. Hixenbaugh, Ancient Greek Helmets: A Complete Guide and Catalog, New York, 2019, p. 533, no. H254.
Exhibited
Musée d'Art Classique de Mougins, 2011-2023 (Inv. no. MMoCA595).

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Lot Essay

This helmet is adorned with an open-worked leaf-shaped finial, which has also been hypothesized to be a sun-ray crest, possibly connecting it to Helios, from whom the warrior was seeking protection in battle. Flanking the finial are curving bull horns, a zoomorphic feature meant to project virility and power. All people in agrarian societies would be familiar with the strength of a bull and how painful it could be to be charged by one, so its presence was intended to frighten the opponent. Above the carinated flaring rim on each side is a four-spoke wheel applique, possibly a reference to death and the underworld or alternatively to speed and force (p. 152 in A. Bottini, et al., Antike Helme; p. 222-224 in Hixenbaugh, op. cit.).

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