A 15th-Century Armet: The Helmet of Roberto da Sanseverino

Article by Eugenio Larosa
ENIOnline · Italian version

Among the most recognisable elements of Italian knightly armour in the fifteenth century was the armet, a close-fitting helmet that became one of the characteristic forms of Italian plate armour during the period.

Designed to enclose the head closely, the armet typically consisted of a rounded skull, hinged cheekpieces closing around the sides of the face, and a movable visor. In many examples, additional frontal reinforcement was added to the upper part of the helmet.

Armets were often worn together with a bevor, an additional defence protecting the lower face, throat and neck. This element reinforced vulnerable areas and could also help prevent the visor from being forced open by a blow.

At the rear of many Italian armets, near the base of the skull, is a projecting disc known as a rondel. Its precise function has been discussed, but it is generally associated with the protection of straps, fastenings and closures at the rear of the helmet.

The armet became so closely associated with the Italian man-at-arms that contemporary sources could use the term elmetti, literally “helmets”, to refer collectively to mounted men-at-arms.

The helmet traditionally attributed to Roberto da Sanseverino

The helmet illustrated here is traditionally attributed to Roberto da Sanseverino and is preserved in the collection of the National Museum of Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome, inventory no. VI 11.

Its association with Sanseverino is linked to its provenance from Trento Cathedral, where the condottiero was buried after his death in 1487.

Provenance

The helmet originally came from Trento Cathedral and was later transferred to the collections associated with the Gioco del Ponte in Pisa.

According to the traditional reconstruction of its history, it had once been displayed above the tomb of Roberto da Sanseverino in Trento Cathedral, where it remained until the early decades of the twentieth century.

It was subsequently moved to Pisa and, after its historical significance was recognised, was entrusted to the National Museum of Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome.

The exhibition

The photographs on this page were taken by the author, Eugenio Larosa, and document the helmet while it was displayed in the exhibition Armi e Potere nell’Europa del Rinascimento (Weapons and Power in Renaissance Europe), held in Rome at Palazzo Venezia from 26 July 2018 to 27 January 2019.

The exhibition, curated by Mario Scalini, brought together more than 160 objects, including complete armours, defensive and offensive weapons, firearms, helmets, swords, breastplates, crossbows and greaves, displayed between Palazzo Venezia and Castel Sant’Angelo.

Photographic gallery

The helmet forms part of the wider material evidence connected with the military career of Roberto da Sanseverino . Further historical sources and related material are available in the documents and historical sources section .