Fascinating bascinet -- myArmoury.com

Chad Arnow · myArmoury Team

The bascinet below is one of my favorites of all time. It's pictured in Alexi's Bascinet spotlight as well:

It's from Coburg, Kunstsammlung der Veste. I know the onion top makes it pretty germanic in style. How popular was this style outside of Germany? Alexi mentions that some English effigies show them. How common were they in the British Isles?

When was this style most popular?

http://www.myArmoury.com/albums/photo/1866.html

http://www.myArmoury.com/albums/photo/1867.html

Nathan Robinson · myArmoury Admin

As a starting point for others, here is a discussion of this bascinet: http://www.myArmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=2811

Allan Senefelder · Industry Professional

Not directly related to this but its interesting how this type of helmet bowel with its distinct onion dome shape is of "14th century german type" but in the later half of the 15th century this same shape made into a sallet is attributed to being of "flemish or burgundian " origin.

Chuck Russell · Posted: Wed 21 Dec, 2005 4:24 am Post subject:

truely the ever cool helmet. macpherson made my buddy a copy of this helmet. BUT my buddys head is a weird shape and it didnt fit Sad

you can see it in the brian price TOMAR book

Mark Mattimore · Posted: Wed 21 Dec, 2005 2:30 pm Post subject:

That's one of my favorite helms. I know that, specifically, it's know as a Klappvisier, which literally translates into "Fold Visor" and refers to the visor's central-mount system. Most materials that I've seen refer to it as the earlier form which gradually gave way to the side-mounted system. However, looking at some of the reference dates of these helms it seems that that may not be the case. Could be a “chicken and egg” situation. Or perhaps a geographic difference, with one style replacing the former in different countries while the original was still being used elsewhere.

I've always been interested in the shape of Klappvisier's visor as compared to other hunskul bascinets. It seems to cover less of the face that other visors and has a much shorter “snout”. I wonder if this was just a change in fashion, a regional variation (German vs. English or German vs. French) or if the changes actually had some specific battlefield rational behind them. Visibility? Structural Strength? Comfort?

I don't know a lot else but a quick perusal through my books, which have pictures of that piece (or ones like it), generated the following information:

From Osprey's English Medieval knight 1300-1400
"German basinet showing the form of the Klappvisier, with which a few English examples were fitted. It is hinged to a hasp secured over the brow of the helmet."

From Osprey's German Medieval knight 1300-1500
"The Klappvisier was rarely seen outside Germany. This example, which probably dates from around 1400, is attached to a lug on the brow of the bascinet and secured by a bar which closes over it. The ogival shape of the bascinet appears to be a German feature."

From Arms and Armour of the Medieval Knight
"A further variant in use in Germany was a centrally pivoted visor known as the Klappvisier, a surviving example of which is preserved in the Museum of Sitten, Switzerland. This was a small. Rounded visor which covered only the area left exposed by the aventail. It had flanged eye-slits or sights and was pierced by numerous small holes, known as 'breaths', which enabled the wearer to breath."

Not a lot of information to go on but it's something.