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Sallet

ca. 1500–1510
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 373
Armor was made in southern Germany and Austria, areas rich in iron ore, since the early Middle Ages. By the fifteenth century, the armorers of this region had achieved an international reputation that rivaled the fame of their counterparts in northern Italy. Augsburg, Landshut, Nuremberg in Germany, and Mühlau and nieghboring Innsbruck in Austria were the major armor-producing centers. Their armorers could equip entire armies while also fulfilling personal commissions for the nobility throughout western Christendom. The patronage of the upper nobility spurred the leading armorers to develop technical innovations and decorative styles that set international standards of quality and beauty. Emperor Maximilan I (1459–1519) employed dozens of armorers to make battle and tournament armors for his personal use and as imperial gifts. Chief among these armorers was Lorenz Helmschmid (about 1445–1516) of Augsburg, possibly the most talented German armorer of the late fifteenth to early sixteenth century.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Sallet
  • Date: ca. 1500–1510
  • Culture: German
  • Medium: Steel, copper alloy
  • Dimensions: H. 10 1/2 in. (26.7 cm); W. 8 5/8 in. (21.9 cm); D. 12 1/8 in. (30.8 cm); Wt. 5 lb. 7 oz. (2461 g)
  • Classification: Helmets
  • Credit Line: Bashford Dean Memorial Collection, Bequest of Bashford Dean, 1928
  • Object Number: 29.150.4a
  • Curatorial Department: Arms and Armor

More Artwork

More Artwork
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Sallet in the Shape of a Lion's Head, Steel, copper, gold, glass, pigment, textile, Italian
Sallet in the Shape of a Lion's Head
Italian
ca. 1475–80
Helm for the Joust of Peace (<i>Stechhelm</i>), Steel, copper alloy, German, probably Nuremberg
Helm for the Joust of Peace (Stechhelm)
German, probably Nuremberg
ca. 1500
Armet, LIONARDO Italian, Steel, copper alloy, Italian, probably Milan
Armet
LIONARDO
ca. 1440
Portions of a Costume Armor, Kolman Helmschmid German, Steel, copper alloy, gold, German, Augsburg
Portions of a Costume Armor
Kolman Helmschmid
ca. 1525
Helmet (Sallet), Steel, iron, gold, silver, cloisonné enamel, leather, textile, Spanish, possibly Granada
Helmet (Sallet)
Spanish, possibly Granada
late 15th–early 16th century

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