‡ A NORTH EUROPEAN HEAVY HELMET OF OFFICER'S QUALITY, CIRCA 1620-30

‡ A NORTH EUROPEAN HEAVY HELMET OF OFFICER'S QUALITY, CIRCA 1620-30 of exceptional weight and intended for siege use, with rounded two-piece skull joined along a finely roped low medial ridge enclosed to either side by three incised lines, down-turned brim formed with an obtuse point front and rear, with inward-turned finely roped edge accompanied by three incised lines rising at the centre of each side to an ogee, the main edge fitted with numerous domed lining-rivets, each struck on its head with a star, the interior of the skull fitted with two additional plates to reinforce it, and painted in white with the inventory number ‘3017’, 24.5 cm high Provenance Frank Andrana Collection A very similar helmet attributed to the ownership of Gustavus II Adolphus, King of Sweden (1594-1632) is preserved in the Royal Armoury, Sweden (inv. no. 1867). Another is preserved in the armoury at Arundel Castle, Sussex.