
Siobhan Quin
Senior Specialist
Sold for £25,600 inc. premium
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Provenance:
with Sakai Art Gallery, Japan, 1981.
London art market.
Anonymous sale; Bonhams London, Antiquities, 6 July 2017, lot 101.
Private English collection, acquired at the above sale.
The entire crest area is raised with an angled neck guard, the cheek-pieces taper inward, the pseudo-rivet border extends around the edge of the entire helmet.
Illyrian helmets were produced between 650 and 400 B.C. by armour smiths in the Peloponnese and later Macedonia. Design details such as the raised crest line served to strengthen the helmet and deflect blows. The riveted borders kept in place an integral inner lining that was later replaced with a soft cap worn beneath the helmet and the superfluous rivets were replaced with punch decorated borders of similar appearance. For a discussion of the regional developments of the Illyrian helmet see R. Hixenbaugh, Ancient Greek Helmets: A Complete Guide and Catalog, New York, 2019, pp.201-209 and pp.331-341 for similar examples.