928 - A painted clay imitation of a cap-knob helmet, Villanova culture, 9th century B.C.

A painted clay imitation of a cap-knob helmet, Villanova culture, 9th century B.C. A ceramic imitation very similar in size and construction to a bronze cap-knob helmet, likely used for funerary purposes as a cover for an urn. Similar helmet replicas are known from various early Etruscan necropolises. The conical wall with a slight curvature corresponds quite precisely in dimensions to finds of original bronze helmets, specifically the column-like, upward-curving end with a knob notched at the rim. Approximately 0.5 cm from the rim all around is a row of perforations for the helmet lining, as seen on original helmets. It is entirely conceivable that this clay replica was also fitted with a lining. The surface was originally painted over its entire area with geometric motifs in white paint, though the painting is still clearly visible only in certain places. On the tip of the cap, directly below the knob, there are four wide horizontal white bands, a band of figurative triangles bordered by thin lines, and another wider band. Below this are rectangular—or, adapting to the shape of the substrate, rather trapezoidal—metopes with geometric motifs. The helmet is assembled from shards with almost no missing pieces. A small chip on the edge, now missing. Incrustation present in various places. Otherwise largely intact. Dimensions: 27.5 x 23 x 23 cm. CULTURAL HERITAGE! Provenance: Private collection in Upper Austria (estate), acquired by the father in the 1980s on the Austrian and southern German art market. Condition: II -