Hey guys. Here's a question about Skull caps (AKA cervellieres), and early bascinets. I was looking through manuscripts and miniatures dating between 1250 and 1350, and I got to wondering. How did people keep skull caps and early bascinets from falling off their heads? I know that skull caps could be worn either above or beneath a mail coif, but Im referring specifically to helms worn over mail. In the Maciojowski bible for example skull caps worn beneath a coif are shown with chin straps, while those worn above do not seem to have any form of strap holding it to the head. Why is this? Were they laced to the coif with a leather thong? Have any such helms survived that might clear things up? Any help would be most appreciated.

Jason

Could it be that these skull caps were not worn over a coif but had coif attached to it like aventail?

That is a theory I have read somewhere about skull-cap bascinets.

For example, the row of latten rivets seen around the base of Sir John d'Abernoun's fluted bascinet skull-cap where thought to be there to rivet an aventail to the lower edge of the helmet, rather than attach an inner lining.

The aventail would anchor the short bascinet in place somewhat.

Not all bascinets were worn with an aventail, as shown in art and inventories. Chin straps or ties are rarely illustrated with any type of helmet, including kettle hats, in most manuscripts, but that doesn't mean they weren't used as much as it indicates the illustrators didn't take the time to show such small details in images which were already quite small.

Here's an example after your period of study.
http://manuscriptminiatures.com/4156/7869/

http://manuscriptminiatures.com/4673/7983/


Mart is correct Jason. Artists often left out details such as chin straps. Take a look at the above link. It shows a kettle hat hanging by it's chin strap, yet all the depictions of men wearing these helms in the manuscript do not show any.

Another example, immediately to the right of the Jew with the hammer on the right of the cross:
http://manuscriptminiatures.com/3982/10968/

Thanks to everyone for the replies. Makes sense that medieval illustrators would omit minor details such as chin straps. If I could trouble you guys for a follow-up question. The image linked below has a helm, somewhere between a skull cap and a bascinet. Do you think that a chin strap would be appropriate for this type of helm, or would it have been attached in some way to the coif/aventail?

http://manuscriptminiatures.com/4268/14131/


Jason

I presume you mean the early bascinet with nasal?
[ Linked Image ]

I see no chin strap, ventail, or separation indicating an aventail. Other miniatures in Fr. 2091-2092 seem clearly to have separate coifs beneath the bascinet, or an aventail without visible means of attachment.
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b8452762k/f268.highres
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b84478804/f46.highres
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b84478804/f97.highres

Here's a similar helmet in the Holkham Bible of 1327-1335, possibly being worn over a padded hood like it's neighbor:
http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/Viewer.aspx?ref=add_ms_47682_f040r
[ Linked Image ]

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I thought I should add that the BNF also holds a Latin version of the same manuscript done in grisaille. It is believed the color version is the original and the Latin version is a near contemporary copy. It is worth mentioning in that BNF Latin 5286 shows a separate coif or aventail, and occasionally a line of rivets around the lower edge of the helmet which might indicate a fastening method for an aventail.

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BNF Latin 5286 fo.71r

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BNF Latin 5286 fo.68r [ Download ]

Hi Mart. Yes that's the helm I was talking about. I picked that image in particular because it seems to show a hauberk with integral coif, making it unlikely that the helm was attached to the mail as in later bascinets. Just to clarify. The colour version is original, and the black and white is a copy, correct? If that's so the wouldn't that make the dots, indicating rivets, an addition? Can we thrust this addition? Thanks again for your input.

Jason

Mark,

What's the basis for that assertion?


I dug around a little to see what the earliest reference to an aventail on a bascinet might be, and noted these results on Armour Archive.

Richardson mentions an aventail in Fleet's receipt of armor from Edward II, BL Add MS 60584 fo.13r dating from 1325-1327, when Fleet took office to when Edward was deposed.

Quote:

one aventail worn out and rusty,

The fact that the same inventory lists more coifs than aventails is also noted:

Quote:

six mail coifs (tenis pro guerra);

The fact that the aventail was already worn out and rusted seems to show a possible origin a few years before, but the fact that most of these early inventories are primarily for the king and his household doesn't prove widespread adoption. I'll continue to presume anything between 1280-1320 is a bascinet over coif rather than aventail.

Thanks again Mart. I've long wanted to have one of these early bascinets made, for a Bruce invasion of Ireland kit, but I'm still not sure about whether to use a chin strap or in some way lace it to the coif. Does anyone know of any surviving examples of one of these early bascinets?

Jason

Here is a great example of a chin strap on a helm being left out when worn , yet appears when the helm is off.

http://manuscriptminiatures.com/4673/7988/

Jason. This image might interest you

http://manuscriptminiatures.com/4832/7939/

It seems to show the kind of helm your looking for, with a red lace holding it onto the coif.

Those could be the ties used to cinch the face opening of the aventail or coif.
http://manuscriptminiatures.com/5448/18079/

I've seen a few examples of reportedly surviving cervellieres, but here is disagreement over authenticity, what to call them in the 15th century, or if the item is a helmet, pot, etc.
http://greatpeace.pacmuseum.qc.ca/eng/mission...e-eng.html
http://xxx.xxx/uploads/2010/bascinet/cervelliere.jpg
http://s51.radikal.ru/i132/1106/5d/5636fc21de7c.jpg

This example offered through Hermann Historica stirred up quite a bit of controversy on another forum. It seems to be a legitimate river find, but is the dating correct, or is it even a helmet at all?
http://www.hermann-historica.de/auktion/hhm66...at66_a.txt

As far as a lace securing helm to coif, I've had a thought. Assuming that you would be already wearing your coif before donning a helm, how would you weave the lace through the coif and helm while they are on your head? Seems at worst impossible, and at best impractical.

Jason

Maybe I've been over-thinking this. Maybe not all helms were secured to the head with some sort of lace or strap. I've seen a good few of examples of helms falling off of people's head in period art, e.g. the above image from the Holkham Bible. If the helms were in some way strapped to the head then they should not fall off, even when you fall over.

Jason