A Greek Bronze Helmet, circa late 6th Century B.C.

of Corinthian type hammered from a single sheet of bronze, with rounded dome, flaring neck-protector, long pointed cheek-guards, and finely contoured almond-shaped eyes and nose-guard, the rims of the eyes with extended contours in relief at the outer corners, two holes for attachment above each shoulder, the Greek letters theta and iota incised on the right cheek-guard.

Alphonse Kann (1870-1948), Saint-Germain-en-Laye, by repute
Mathias Komor, New York
Arthur Cohen and Elaine Lustig Cohen, acquired from the above on May 21st, 1960

“Exhibition of Greek Art”, Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, 1942, by repute

Martin D’Arcy, S.J., Dr. Werner Muensterberger, Edward Sullivan, C.S.B., Persona Grata, an Exhibition of Masks from 1200 B.C. to the Present, exh. cat., University of St. Thomas, Houston, 1960, no. 1, illus.

Crown restored from several pieces soldered together (as clearly shown on x-rays) and with a bump on top. It is possible that some of these pieces may be ancient. Two crack across neck guard, with somes losses. Crack across proper left eye and forehead. Losses to eyes and edges of cheek-guards as shown. Most of surface inside and out artificially patinated with paint and other materials, from the look of it probably in the first part of the 20th century.
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This helmet represents the latest form of the Corinthian helmet type, appearing in the late Archaic period. In the typology by H. Pflug, in: Antike Helme. Sammlung Lipperheide und andere Bestände des Antikenmuseums Berlin, 1988, pp. 87ff., it belongs to the Hermione-group, named after a well-preserved helmet from Hermione in Athens (Pflug, op. cit., p. 91, fig. 32f.).

There were exhibitions entitled “Exhibition of Greek Art, 3000 B.C.-A.D.1938” at the Royal Academy in 1942 and at the Fitzwilliam Museum in 1944. Both catalogue listings include two Corinthian helmets, quite possibly the same in each. In the 1942 catalogue both helmets were lent to the exhibition by Spink & Son, and if one of these is the present helmet, then it seems possible it had originally belonged to Alphonse Kann, who from 1938 was living in England.