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Bas Scinets with C Center Hinged D Visor Rs

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Bas Scinets with C Center Hinged D Visor Rs Surviving Armour 1300-1430 60 Bascinets with Center Hinged Visors Bascinets with center hinged visors have the greatest variation in shape of all surviving bascinets. This variation comes in the shape of the neck, the form of the point, shape of the cheeks as well as the angle and depth of the lower edges. These bascinets fall into two broad groups. There are those with straight necks and those with flared necks. Despite the variation within this form of bascinet there are certain features they have in common. The most obvious commonality is the evidence of a central hinge for a visor. This is typically composed of three elements; two lugs and some form of catch. The reason for two lugs is to help the visor remain straight. If there was a single lung, as may be found on bascinets equipped with nasals, the visor could hang askew and block the wearer’s vision, thus rendering him vulnerable to attack. Virtually all bascinets with center hinged visors have vervelles and holes for the lining which follow the edges. The vervelles may be of the tubular form or of the more common post style. The first group of bascinets with centrally hinged visors have straight necks aand tend to have very shallow cheeks which typically reach downward only to the level of the mouth. There are some with much deeper cheeks but these only extend a bit below the jaw line. The skulls of these bascinets may be blunt, acutely pointed or anywhere in between. The cheeks may be angular or rounded and the lower edges may be parallel to the shoulders and only extend as far as the mouth or they may be angled downward and extend below the jaw line. Within this group of center hinged bascinets with straight necks there are also some with acutely pointed skulls. Some of these skulls have an acute point with a sweep like the top of an onion. The cheeks typically are fairly shallow and extend downward to the level of the mouth. The bottom edge and rear meet at nearly a right angle. A line a vervelles and holes for the lining follow the edges. The second group of bascinets with center hinged visors all have strongly flared bottom edges. The bascinets with the flared edges invariably have much deeper cheeks and all reach at least to the jawline and typically much farther downward onto the neck. It is because of this depth that the flared neck is necessary. Within this group there are basically four styles that are present. The first style is an exaggerated form of the last style of bascinets with straight necks. The points are even more onion like in appearance and their necks sweep dramatically. This accentuated the onion shape forming something resembling a mosque dome. The second style often has a tall centrally located point and deep cheeks which reach downward past the jawline. The lower edge of the face opening typically projects forward to create an almost heart shaped face opening. The vervelle and lining holes are set back from the face opening. The final style is identical in form to many of the bascinets presented previously. They have a tall, centrally located ppoint and deep cheeks which reach downward toward the shoulders and have forward projecting lower edges. Unlike the previous examples these have no vervelle holes or lining holes and simply have a few widely spaced holes for a lining strap similar those found on barbutes of the mid-15th century. There is no evidence of this style ever being equipped with visors. Surviving Armour 1300-1430 61 Bascinets with Straight Necks 30. Royal Armouries, Leeds, England Inventoryr Number: RA IV.467 Date: 1370-1380 Nationality: German. Height: 10" (254 mm) Width: Bascinet Weight: 3.13 lbs. (1.42 kg) Visor Weight: 1 lb. (.46 kg) Provenance: Presented by the National Art Collection fund, 1945. From the Karl Gimbel collection, Berlin, annd purchased by Sir Edward Barry ffrom the Whawell collection, in about 1926. Publications: European Armour in the Tower of London, Arthur Richard Dufty (Plate LXXIII). The Knight and the Blast Furnace, Alan Williams (p. 344); A Record of European Armour and Arms Through Seven Centuries. Guy Francis Laking (Fig. 278); Medieval Warfare Sourcebook: Warfare in Western Christendom. David Nicolle; Arms and Armour of tthe Medieval Knight. David Edge & John Miles Paddock. This is a small rounded bascinet with conical visor, mounted with a center hinge mechanism. The center hinge mechanism has a keyhole shaped slot that fitted over a corresponding shaped lug in the bascinet. There are at least three additional holes in the skull for missing parts of the hinge attachment. A total of four holes is unusual and this probably indicates the visor does not belong to the bascinet. This visor is pierced with fifteen breaths on both sides of the visor, instead of only on the right. The very tip of the visor’s blunted “nose” is pierced with a circular hole, and there are two holes side by side at the center of the bottom edge of the visor. At the back edge of the visor, there is a hole on each side just below the level of the ocularia. The eye slits have serrated edges, with an enlarged opening in the center of each side of the ocularia. The mouth opening is divided into two sections and there is a distinct medial crease dividing the visor into two halves. This visor has a nearly identical mate in the Bargello. (#59) Interestingly on both this visor and the Bargello example the hole on each side of the snout just above the bottom edge of the “mouth” opening is a bit larger than the other breaths. This bascinet was originally equipped Surviving Armour 1300-1430 62 with five triangular lugs (of which, two survive). These were probably designed to deflect a sword away from the vulnerable leather band, to which the aventail was sewn. The thirteen original vervelles on this bascinet are tubular and are approximately one inch (25mm)) in length. Like most helmets of its type this bascinet has two rows of holes for the lining and the vervelles. Furthermore there are two additional holes between the lower edge and the lining holes set at each side at the bottom of the face opening. The right hole is filled with a river and polished flush with the surface of the helm. Williams found the helmet to have been made from low carbon steel.10 The surface of this bascinet is in fairly good condition, although lightly pitted. The bottom edge of the bascinet is eaten away up to the level of the lining attachment holes, and there is a broken away section of the bottom of the visor in two places. 10 Alan Williams, The Knight and the Blast Furnace (Leiden: Brill, 2003) 344. Surviving Armour 1300-1430 63 Surviving Armour 1300-1430 64 31. Cantonal Museum of History, Castle Valeria, Sion, Switzerland Inventory Number: MV30-83 Date: 1350-1370. Nationality: Probably Swiss.11 Height: 10.63” (270mm) Width: 8.27” (210mm) Depth: 8.66” (220mm) Weight: 3.31lbs (1.5kg) Provenance: Acquired in 1883 Publications: A Record of European Armour and Arms Through Seven Centuries, Guy Francis Laking (Fig. 286). The Knight and the Blast Furnace, Alan Williams (p. 339); The Metaallurgy of Medieval Arms and Armour, Alan Williams; Die Ritterliche Beewaffnung von 1386, Eduard A. Gessler; Musee Cantoal d’Historie Sion: Guide des Collections, Marie Calude Morand. (p.67) This bascinet has a small rounded crown, and tube shaped vervelles. The ocularia opening was made by carefully cutting the slot and folding it outward, leaving the mmetal attached at the bottom edge. There are perforations at the bottom of the ocularia. The center hinge mechanism is fitted with a paddle system for removal. The bottom point of the visor terminates in a knobbed projection. There is a small amount of file work decoration at the point where this knob joins the visor and on the corners of the ocularia. The visor is divided into two halves with a strong medial ridge and the right section is pierced with eight breaths surrounding a ninth, central breath. Six of these pierce the lower side of the ocular projection— three beneath each eye, and one is between the two eye openings. Dr. Alan Williams stated this helmet was made from wrought iron.12 There are a pair of applied leather loops applied inside the bottom edge of the skull. Based on the position of the ocular in relation to the skull it is evident that the visor and bascinet are not originally a pair but were mated at some later date. The skull bears and armourer’s mark in the form of a semi-circle with a cross. The surface of this bascinet is lightly pitted and darkened with oxidation. 11 Guy Francis Laking A Record of European Armour and Arms Througgh Seven Centuries p. 245. 12 Alan Williams, The Knight and the Blast Furnace (Leiden: Brill, 20033) 339. Surviving Armour 1300-1430 65 Surviving Armour 1300-1430 66 Surviving Armour 1300-1430 67 Surviving Armour 1300-1430 68 32. Royal Armouries, Leeds, England Inventoryr Number: RA IV.6 Date: Circa 1380 (bascinet) and circa 1400 (visor). Nationality: Probably German Height: Width: Helmet Weight: 3.75 lbs. (1.7 kg) Visor Weight: 2.07 lbs. (.94 kg) Provenance: Purchased 1837 from the Sir Charles Brocas collection. Publications: European Armour in the Tower of London, Arthur Richard Dufty (Plate LXXIII). The Knight and the Blast Furnace, Alan Williams (p.
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