APULO-CORINTHIAN HELMET
SOUTHERN ITALY, C. 350-300 B.C.
£18,750
African & Oceanic Art, Antiquities and Natural History
Auction: 5 May 2020 at 12:00 BST
Description
hammered bronze, with two small eye holes, nose guard and dual raised brow ridges, neck guard behind, the interior with collection label "AG 512"
Dimensions
26.5 cm long
Footnote
Provenance:
Axel Guttmann Collection of Ancient Arms and Armour, exhibited at Mr. Guttmann's private museum outside Berlin, collection number AG 512.
Sotheby's, London, Antiquities, December 1985, lot 130
Published:
Born, H. 1993. Restaurierung Antiker Bronzewaffen.
Note:
The famous Corinthian helmet was popular throughout the Ancient Greek world on account of its ease of production (from a single sheet of hammered bronze) and the fearsome visage it presented to the enemy. We see here the Italic variant, known as an Apulo-Corinthian. Unlike the classic variety, the Apulo-Corinthian was worn on the top of the head like a cap. This is clearly evident in the present example, where the aperture for the eyes is far too small to have been functional and was therefore purely decorative. Scholars now believe that the Greek Corinthian helmet was always worn pulled back over the head other than in the immediate melee conflict due to the extreme heat suffered by the wearer. Therefore the development of the Italic variety reflects how the original Corinthian was worn the majority of the time. The early Italic examples feature a far closer design to the Corinthian, with open eyes and a nose-guard raised in relief. As time went on, these details became mere decorations on the face as we see here. As such, the later Apulo-Corinthian still reflect the influence on their origins but more accurately demonstrate the reality of how they were worn.