Parade Helmet à l'Antique
Unknown Artist
ca. 1630
Medium
Steel, copper alloy, paint, textile
Dimensions
H. 14 7/8 in. (37.6 cm); W. 8 1/2 in. (21.6 cm); D. 14 1/2 in. (36.8 cm); Wt. 4 lb. 8 oz. (2167 g)
Classification
Helmets
Culture
French, probably Paris
Department
Arms and Armor
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Gift of William H. Riggs, by exchange, 1997
Accession Number
1997.341
Art Historical Context
Step into the opulent world of 17th-century French nobility with the *Parade Helmet à l'Ant*, crafted around 1630 in Paris. This striking steel helmet, standing nearly 15 inches tall and weighing over four pounds, was designed not for battle but for ceremonial spectacle—parades, tournaments, and courtly displays. Its "à l'Antique" title evokes the classical antiquity revival, mimicking ancient Roman and Greek warrior helmets with a fantastical flair suited to the Baroque age under Louis XIII. Masterfully forged from steel and embellished with copper alloy for gilding, paint for vivid colors, ...