I wonder if anyone has any idea of what this is. Yes, I know it's a hat.
One of the London auction houses thought that it could be an eighteenth century fireman's helmet or possibly a seventeenth century inner lining for a Cavalier's hat .
I don't think it's either. The leather firemen's helmets that I've been able to find have been much cruder and utilitarian than this. They also have flaps that hang from the back to protect the neck.
As for being something worn under a hat; I don't think so. It's too well made, and the decorative leather work implies that it was meant to be seen. Also, if I was a Cavalier, I'd be wearing a metal inner helmet, not a leather one. And why have a rim designed to keep rain off the face if it's worn under something else?
The only things that I have seen like this (although in metal) are kettle hats. They seem to very often have this decorative strip running from front to back. And I have seen this wavy line design. Did they make a variation in leather? Perhaps for archers? I have read accounts of archers having to take off their metal kettle hats, when discharging their arrows, because the metal brims got in the way. Maybe a (very hard) leather helmet with a narrow brim was a compromise for someone.

I have shown it to an expert in textiles who has confirmed that it has been very well made. She was very impressed with the uniformity of the stitching. She also can't see any reason why it couldn't be Tudor, or even earlier.

Any ideas?

---

 Attachment: 83.79 KB

Didn't know how to add more pictures to original post, so have to do it this way.

---

 Attachment: 91.09 KB

Dito.
Should also mention that it is very small. But some of this may be due to shrinkage.

---

 Attachment: 97.86 KB

I confess I ignore the origin of this helmet, but is very look like the one used (since centuries) for the "Palio di Siena", the historical horserace done twice a year.
May be it will help.

Regards

There are some surviving leather pikemand pots from the period of The English Civil War in the Tower collection, perhaps this may be something of the same variety. How thick is it?

anyway, it really looks like a 15th century kettle hat. Couldn't it be a kind of toy for a child?

Hi Alessio

Thanks for taking the trouble to reply.

"The leather firemen's helmets that I've been able to find have been much cruder and utilitarian than this. They also have flaps that hang from the back to protect the neck.
not so crude sometimes...
http://www.scdf.gov.sg/images/general/about_u...Helmet.JPG "

What I had in mind when I talked about leather fireman's helmets being crude (which I didn't make clear enough) was the pre-nineteenth century type, like this seventeenth century example in the Museum of London:

http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/English/Even...;id=119390


"anyway, it really looks like a 15th century kettle hat. Couldn't it be a kind of toy for a child?"


It very elaborately wrought to be a children's toy. Although, of course, anything is possible. It did occur to me that it could be a helmet worn for military practice by a younger person.
Although I'm not an expert in arms, I am used to handling artifacts. And the hat is definitely pre nineteenth century, and is probably substantially earlier than that.
As you say, it really looks like a kettle hat - which is intriguing.

Hello

I'm new here.

This leather helmet looks like without some detail from the top - there's circle line in the middle
It's hard to say something for sure but I've some suggestion - but it's only free idea

I mean this leather hut ,but with some element on the top ...for exemple little tube for decorative bands or for hors-hare looks very similar to the hats we knows from Mongol Empire area between 13th- qnd even 18th. cen.
It was made in leather or in leather-silk version ....some kind of decorative head-wear. The shape and constructoin is similar to iron helmets in the type of the hut.

Some exemples below. On the drow from Gorelik there're exemples nr 1 and 35 (from iluminations) .But as I said it's just my free idea ...I just see some analogy.

Or maybe it's just some design of Safari helmet :)

---

 Attachment: 24.7 KB



 Attachment: 76.34 KB
[ Download ]

 Attachment: 86.78 KB
[ Download ]