[Nathan Robinson]

Attached below is a photo of a couple helms from The Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, München.

The one on the left has some type of cover on it.

Can anybody describe exactly what is shown here?

Thank you.

[Allen W]

The covered example looks like a duplicate of the bare example, both of which strike me as small burgonets.

[Randall Moffett]

I am with Allen W., It is a small burgonet. I have never seen one like it before. They look kind of funny to me.

RPM

[Wolfgang Armbruster]

It is indeed a burgonet or "Sturmhaube" (storm-hood / cap). I've never seen one covered with fabric, very interesting.
The very same style of small burgonet was used by the Munich town-guards in the early 16th century. Since these helmets are kept in Munich they could very well have belonged to the guards. Hermann historica had one of these helmets for sale some time ago.

[Allan Senefelder]

Tri combed burgeonette that may or mat not be fabric covered. By this I mean there is usually a series of rivets around the base of the helm to hold the covering in place which I can't make out in the pic (deosn't mean they're not there I just can't see any), this combined with the ribbon run around the base of the cover where the brim (there is a brim to the cover which is unusual) sticks out has me wondering if this isn't an attached fabric cover at all but a version of a hat that simply fits over the three combs of the helmet. Just my guess.

[Nathan Robinson]

I should be more clear. I was being much too vague with my post. I understood that each is a triple-crested (or "cock's crested") burgonet, but I'm really more curious about the fabric covering. What is it? Why is it there? What might it have looked like in person? What of its materials and color(s)?

For what it's worth, these triple-crested helms are amongst my favorites. These examples are odd in their form, though. It's this fabric covering that's really piqued my curiosity.

[Chuck Russell]

i'm wondering if it wasnt some sort of rain or wet weather protection. hehe who knows i've seen fabric covered sallets before too.

[Al Muckart]

From the texture it's hard to tell but it wouldn't surprise me to find that that covering wasn't fabric but leather.

It also appears to have a rolled rim with slashes which seem to me to be too regular to be accidental damage so was this rolled rim stuffed with some contrasting material.

My utterly inexpert guess would be that this is a decorative "hat", possibly serving the same function as a crest on earlier period helms like the cap of maintenance on the Black Prince's funeral helm.

I'd love to know whether it is complete and what color it originally was. I can see the binding/roping around the slashses the combs poke through being a contrasting color.

Fascinating object. Thanks for posting it.

[Dan Dickinson]

Well, if I remember correctly, in Funcken's Age of Chivalry volume 3, is shown a picture of such a helm and a description that says that it was quite a common thing to have a velvet cover on this type of crested burgonet. They also said that some experts said they were for chamoise hunters as the velvet would cut down on glare and the helmet would protect from falling rocks. However, they highly doubted such an explanation and believed that the cover was either to simply cut down on glare or to look impressive. Finally, they stated that Emperor Charles V's guards wore such helms. The picture had the helm covered in red velvet.
Hope this helps some,
Dan


Edited because I typed Henry instead of Charles.

[Merv Cannon]

Apparently helm covers for the great helm were used also although it is not suprising that none survive as even the helms thenselves are not common. I dont have a digital camera yet, so alas I can only quote from the description in one of my boks. As the book is quite common, perhaps someone else can provide us with a posted pic.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Documentation for quilted helm covers of the early 14th Century

From the book “ Heraldry : Sources, Symbols and Meanings “,
Tiger Books, ISBN 1-85501-908-6

P.146 “During the first third of the fourteenth century, in northern Europe, a quilted hood was drawn over the helmet to keep out the cold. Some colourful examples are shown on the folding table of Lüneburg (see pages 154-155)

P.153 “ With time, heraldry extended to one of the most attractive elements of the ensemble, the helmet mantling. At first this covered only the back of the neck, but larger pieces of drapery were later a sign of noble status.
A distinction should be made between these draperies and the quilted hoods which were worn over the helmet in the first third of the fourteenth century in north and northwest Europe. The quilted pattern and seams are often shown on contemporary seals. It is understandable that they have remained almost unnoticed as there is only a single set of coloured illustrations of such hoods, in the arms on the Gothic folding table from the town hall of Lüneburg . The painted armorials show no knowledge of them. “