Jan.30th,2021 World Antique Arms and Art Sale
Lot 375:
Very Rare 16th – 17th C. German or English Civil War Sappers "Siege Helmet". Rare type of Siege helmet used between 16th and 17th centuries by German and English sappers, exceptionally heavy, weighing 8 1/4 pounds and having a hemispherical skull with shallow medial ridge; with riveted iron brims front and rear. Many such helmets were used during the Thirty Years War which was a brutal conflict fought primarily in the German States. Many towns and fortresses were besieged and destroyed. Crucial to these actions were the sappers, or siege engineers, who had the dangerous job of getting close to the walls undermining them with various means of breaching them. This brought them under direct fire from virtually every weapon in the arsenal of the besieged; including boiling oil, rocks, fire, and guns of all types. To help protect them they wore very heavy padded bulletproof armor. This type helmets were also used in the English Civil War. It survives in such excellent original condition due to its being kept ready for use for centuries in one of the many town arsenals in Germany or England. Museum inventory number is painted on under one of the brims.
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