A Burgonet for a Cuirassier, French, Circa 1610-20. 

Construction: The bluntly-pointed skull is composed of two halves, joined together with a rolled turn over the low, slightly-pointed comb, and the neckguard is forged out of the rear of the skull. Two cheek pieces are hinged onto the sides of the skull. The forward parts of the hinges which attach them are riveted inside the cheek pieces, which are embossed to accommodate them, and riveted onto the outside of the skull, where they are lobed. The lower edges of the cheek pieces are forged out to protect the front of the neck. They are closed by a lace at the forward lower edges. A pivoted peak (or fall) is attached at either side of the skull by pivots with decorative brass washers beneath them. When down, the peak also engages over the upper edges of the cheek pieces, locking them closed. The rivets around the cheek pieces, skull and neckguard were originally used to attach a padded liner, now lost.

Decoration: The skull is boldly embossed with two lateral ribs rising up from beneath the arms of the peak, and meeting the comb at an angle of 90 degrees, forming a cruciform design. Both the ribs and the comb are boldly file-roped, as are all turned edges on the peak, cheek pieces and neckguard. The roping of the comb is carried down onto the peak, where it is embossed to accommodate it. The turned edges of the peak, neckguard and lower edges of the cheek pieces have sunken bands, while these bands are simply suggested on the leading edges of the cheek pieces by a single engraved line.

Background: The profile of this helmet is clearly French: the bluntly-pointed skull, the lobed hinges attaching the cheek pieces, with the embossed recesses for them (see for example Royal Armouries IV.524 and MET, New York 29.153.2), and the very elegant contours of the peak and cheek pieces, with the peak itself angling downwards, and drawn to an acute point at the front, are all characteristic of French production. Embossed ribs on the skulls of helmets are associated with the reign of Henri IV (reigned 1589-1610), such as the close helmet in the MET, New York (14.25.618), but the lateral ribs and the low comb may point to a slightly later date in the reign of Louis XIII (reigned 1610-43). Therefore, this helmet may be dated to the period 1610-20.

This helmet is very heavy, and although it bears no proof marks, it was clearly made to be shot-proof. The elegance of the design and the construction mark it out as the helmet from a cuirassier armour, rather than a siege helmet. A siege helmet would have additional plates mounted on the skull (see for example the MET French burgonet 14.25.495), and lacked the elegant design of this piece.