Kunst & Kunsthandwerk, Antiken

30 | A very rare Assyrian bronze helmet, 8th - 7th century B.C. An Assyrian bronze helmet of hammered sheet, conical in form, taper- ing sharply to a tall point, connected and riveted on the back side of the helmet, with cheek pieces from the same sheet of bronze. It is not deformed and nearly 100% preserved. The conical tip gives the helmet its distinctive shape. It is set off from the slightly curved lower part of the skull. The lower edge of the helmet is provided along the face cutout, the cheek guard and the rear part of the calotte with pairs of holes, which served for the attachment of a helmet lining flanged to the outside. The former width of the crimped helmet lining is clearly visible on the out- side by a strip of matt oxide. The overlapping ends of the bronze sheet were connected by four pairs of holes with inserted bronze strips. Of the latter only the lower one is completely preserved, and of the second one there is still a rest of the clamp inside. The lower part of the calotte is shattered, but all parts have been preserved and put together by a provi- sional restoration, which can be significantly improved by reworking. With a beautiful glossy patina which allows the bronze background to shimmer through in some places and which is partially covered with light incrustations. Height 43 cm. Weight 602 g. Helmets of this design are extremely rare in this state of preservation. For this type of helmet see a chariot relief from the North-Palace of Ashurbanipal (A019909) in the Louvre with Assyrian warriors. P rovenance : From the Lithuanian art market. 256704 II - III € 7.000