"European Helmets, 1450-1650" Exhibit at NY Metropolitan Mus

[Richard Blackmoore]

I just spent part of my 40th birthday weekend at this wonderful exhibit. If you like helmets, run, do not walk, to see this. It runs through January 2001.

This is basically selected helmets from the Met's reserve collection. Many of these have not been displayed publicly in years, some for as long as half a century.

The Met's reserve collection is easily the equal or superior of most American Hemisphere museums public permanant exhibits. This is both a blessing and a curse. Because the Met chooses to only put its best and most unique items on display, only a small portion of the actual holdings are available for general viewing in the armor hall. For instance the total number of European helmets alone exceeds four hundred, not including helmets that belong to a specific suit. As a result, there are HUNDREDS of helmets not normally on display.

This special exhibit, subtitled "Treasures from the Reserve Collection" is very nice. It only shows about 70+ helms and helmets, but some of these are very nice or important, showing styles not well represented in the main collection, for example two late period siege helmets (early and late 17th cent), an English spider helmet (late 17th cent), a close fitting cap like sallet (Spanish infantry, late 15th cent) and a 15th or 14th cent War Hat, several interesting Sallets including a great sallet (poss late 14th cent Italian). The close helms are nice and on one you can clearly see the linen covered internal padding which may be either the original padding and lining or a replacement from withing the helmet's working lifetime.

Some of the helmets are obviously field pieces and are quite light (3+ to 6 lbs) and close fitting similar to pieces in the main collection, giving credence to the "Yes a sword could hurt these guys badly theory", others are quite heavy (8 lbs or more) even though they are labelled as field pieces rather than tourney, giving credence to the "No a sword will not usually do the trick, at least not one blow theory".

If you are going to the Met anyway, now would be a good time to do it, God only knows when these helmets will be on display again.

If the armour archive members want to accomplish something useful, a letter writing campaign to the Met asking that the exhibit's helmets be added to the permanent collection would be a worthwhile one. The Met has tons of unused space, but they like to say they don't because they like plenty of space between pieces and to give the armour hall the look of a collectors great hall, not a room stuffed full of items. They could easily make room for these if they chose to.

I will write more about this after I have time to reflect on what I have seen and read the exhibition guide. I question some of the dating and attributions, but in general it seems on target. The exhibit catalog is black and white paperback, titled same as the exhibit, it is not an in depth study but is useful, mostly one picture per helmet with a simple description, does include weights, only $9.95 in the Met bookstore, members get their usual discount.

For those that can't get to the Met, some of the helmets from the reserve collection can probably still be viewed from the Met's web site.

Oh, off topic. After the Met, I took my three year old daughter to Bryant Park in Midtown (Behind NY Public Library) and saw Barnum's Kaliedoscape (yes, they spelled it that way). Its a one ring, very nice circus in the old tradition with French overtones. No seat is more than 50' from the stage and it was wonderful. Great seating, good seats $50, cheap still good seats $25, great seats with burgundy sofa's, $75.00. It will be traveling around the country, it is the first Barnum circus under a tent in 40 years. If you want an intimate circus experience for your kids where adults can still have fun, this is it. Also, the guy with the crossbow is phenomenal. Did the William tell thing with an apple three times and lived! Its a great way to talk the wife and kids into seeing the armor, just tell them you'll hit the circus afterwards. Now my kid wants a suit of armor and a clown outfit. I better win the lottery soon...

[Morgan]

I recently saw this exhibit (as many of you who downloaded my jpg archive can attest) and would agree with Sir Richard that it's so VERY much worthwhile. It's wonderful. And as a permanant exhibit, it'd be stupendous! They could get rid of all that junky eastern armour and put in more european helms! JUST KIDDING!!!!

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Do not go gentle into that good night - Dylan Thomas

http://www.geocities.com/morgunnmac