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Lot Essay
With the slender nose-guard, elongated almond-shaped eyes and gracefully-curving cheek-guards, this highly stylized helmet exemplifies the Hermoine type. Named after a helmet excavated in the coastal town of Hermoine on the Argolid peninsula, it is the paragon of the Corinthian helmet type—in aesthetics and protection—and is frequently depicted on Greek vases and Classical sculptures and coins.
Beginning circa 550 B.C., the Hermoine type is categorized by high-quality manufacturing, a product of the Greek mainland as compared to the more austere alternative made in the contemporary South Italian workshops. The helmet was the culmination of three centuries of Greek armour smith experience and provided heightened protection for the warrior. Notable features include a larger dome and a closely-fitting lower half separated by a carinated ridge, meant to provide room at the top to further protect the warrior’s skull from a deadly blow. As Hixenbaugh explains, this specialization required the helmet “to be carefully cast, repeatedly annealed and carefully cold worked to achieve the desired form” (op. cit., p. 199) The type was worn by hoplites and provided maximum protection for him when united in a phalanx, promoting unity rather than individuality. With the entire warrior’s face hidden, he exemplified power and virility (Hixenbaugh, op. cit., pp. 199-200).
For other examples of the type, see nos. C664-C716, pp. 425-432 in Hixenbaugh op. cit.
Beginning circa 550 B.C., the Hermoine type is categorized by high-quality manufacturing, a product of the Greek mainland as compared to the more austere alternative made in the contemporary South Italian workshops. The helmet was the culmination of three centuries of Greek armour smith experience and provided heightened protection for the warrior. Notable features include a larger dome and a closely-fitting lower half separated by a carinated ridge, meant to provide room at the top to further protect the warrior’s skull from a deadly blow. As Hixenbaugh explains, this specialization required the helmet “to be carefully cast, repeatedly annealed and carefully cold worked to achieve the desired form” (op. cit., p. 199) The type was worn by hoplites and provided maximum protection for him when united in a phalanx, promoting unity rather than individuality. With the entire warrior’s face hidden, he exemplified power and virility (Hixenbaugh, op. cit., pp. 199-200).
For other examples of the type, see nos. C664-C716, pp. 425-432 in Hixenbaugh op. cit.