Posts: 83 Location: East Anglia, England
Fri 28 Aug, 2015 6:56 am
Late 16th century morion: artifical aging?
Posts: 802 Location: The Welsh Marches, in the hills above Newtown, Powys.
Fri 28 Aug, 2015 1:23 pm
Your comment about the patina is right.
Posts: 455 Location: Thailand
Fri 28 Aug, 2015 6:49 pm
I agree that the patina is modern: it looks like someone has painted the helmet black and then burned it with a torch or something.
Interestingly, from the photos, the helmet itself looks OK for the early 1600s (having it in hand might change my mind!). Maybe it had been over cleaned which made someone attempt a repatination.
--ElJay
Posts: 239 Location: California
Fri 28 Aug, 2015 10:35 pm
Late 16th century Morion ...
Tom,
Although it is almost impossible to tell from photos, it appears to be a genuine piece to me. Please post a close up photo of both the plume holder fastening/base area and the top of the comb. Would like to see the seam where the two halves are joined. Concerning the patina, appears that either shellac or varnish has been applied over some heavy rust. Is there any evidence that rust has penetrated, holing or weak spots?
I have a heavy back plate which had a similar heavy patina coated with shellac, but stripped it to bare metal. Wish I hadn't as it has lost some appeal. Also have a set of finger guantlets, sans fingers, with a medium patina coated with varnish outside while the interiors are painted green. Will be left that way ....
Cheers,
Dan
Posts: 83 Location: East Anglia, England
Tue 01 Sep, 2015 8:28 am
Thanks to all for responses. I have conducted further research myself, and have actually found two identical morions (not just similar but actually identical) that have sold in England at auction in the last couple of years. Both were sold as Victorian copies, so I think it is fair to say that 150 years ago a company was churning these out. Obviously, with 150 years' grime on them they are starting to look the part. No doubt handling one would show it to be light as a feather though!
Needless to say I shan't be finding space for it in my collection. I made a couple of excellent acquisitions over the weekend though so my hankering for new things has been sated for a while!
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