[Charlee Garvin]

Hi all,

I’m looking to commission an armorist to bring into metal Rembrandt’s Man in Armor helm. I know a creation like this would cost me a lot of money, but it would definitely be one of a kind and worth it.

What historical and regional influences inspired the helms design? It was painted in 1655. No man came to him and asked to be painted. The sitter was probably his son, Titus. It is likely a work of his imagination paired with Rembrandt’s knowledge and exposure to historical armor.

What are your thoughts on how this can be reconstructed? Note the owl face and beak on the visor, the latch that holds it in place, the scroll work on the bottom of the articulated tail, the way the ears are uncovered, and the gothic crest that sweeps to a point. Can this be done? And by whom?

As to the attachment of the picture, it's just too big. Go to link.

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/17395/17395-h/17395-h.htm#chap9

Thank you in advance,

Charlee

[Jonathon Janusz]

Here's the pic, downloaded from the above site. Charlee, if you download the zip html file, it will give you a web-sized folder of images along with the text. Cheers!

[Chuck Russell]

woah, not to be off topic here but i've never seen that painting before online etc. my parents have that painting. its aprox 3ft by 4ft or something. they got it when living in europe in teh 60s/70s. wow at least now i know what it is

[Charlee Garvin]

Thanks Jonathon,

That's a good download example. I'll try to paste it now for immediate perusal. If I fail, can somebody help? I have some gaps in my computer knowledge.



Chuck,

I'm glad to help solve the mystery for you. This picture is mounted beautifully on my living room wall. I bought it at a starving artist auction right before I departed for Desert Storm. My wife had it framed and matted while I was away. It was a nice surprise when I returned home 12 months later. Like you, I did not know who it was by or what era it was. I bought because it made me think of Hector of Troy just before he left the Scion Gate to face Achilles. It seemed the knight was in a moment of respite just before battle.

Anyway, I'm hoping an Armour maker will notice this line and make a few comments or even take on the challenge. Peter Fuller comes to mind or the excellent Death Dealer helmet maker at Albion, but I wanted to talk about it with you friends here first.

Charlee

[Chad Arnow]

With the embossing, I'd recommend checking out Ugo Serrano (http://www.ugoserrano.com/index.html). His embossing/repousse looks really good. That helm looks like it has some embossing. Here's one of his past pieces:

[Charlee Garvin]

Come to think of it Chuck, your avatar picture looks similar to the knight's pose in the painting. Maybe all those years of seeing it on the wall rubbed off.

Charlee

[Chad Arnow]

[Charlee Garvin]

Interesting Chad,

It also struck me as having a Greek Heroic Era look to it, which drew me to the Hector comparison.

By the way, Ugo's work is amazing!