Inv. n°: MMoCA470

Roman Iron and Tinned Bronze Cavalry Helmet

Deaccessioned at Christie's New York, Arms and Armour from the Mougins Museum of Classical Art sales, the 30th January 2024. Formed of iron with tinned bronze decoration including a stylized band of laurel around and over the crown, eagle wings on either side, a large eagle with outspread wings standing on a ground line in relief at the back above the neck-guard, flanked by architectural elements consisting of lozenge filled rectangles surmounted by triangles, the neck-guard flaring out horizontally, ear-guards riveted at either side, the ornate cusped cheek-pieces with naturalistically-modelled ears, each with a central boss surrounded by scallop shells, bordered by beading and stippled.

h. 38.5 x w. 29 cm

2nd half to 2nd century-Early 3rd century AD

Iron and tinned bronze

Provenance

  • Ex Axel Guttmann Collection acquired in a Munich Gallery, Berlin, 1994
  • Acquired by Royal-Athena Galleries at Christie's Axel Guttmann Sale, part 2, London, 28th April 2004, lot 146
  • Property of Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Newhall, Owings Mill, Maryland, April 2005
  • Acquired at Christie's Antiquities Sale 2232, property of Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Newhall, London, 11th December 2009, lot 175

Publications

  • M. Junkelmann, "Roman Helmets in the Axel Guttmann-Collection, Berlin", Journal of Roman Military Equipment Studies, 1999, vol. 10, pp. 81-85, fig. 5
  • M. Junkelmann, Römische Helme: Sammlung Axel Guttmann, Mainz, 2000, vol. VIII, pp. 88-90, pp. 159-160, plates 83-86, XIX and XX, foldouts I and II (AG 461)
  • Christie's, Axel Guttmann Sale, part 2, London, 28th April 2004, lot 146
  • J. M. Eisenberg, Ancient Arms, Armor, and Images of Warfare, Royal-Athena Galleries, October 2004, p. 17, no. 35
  • Christie's, Antiquities Sale, London, 10th December 2009, lot 175
  • M. Junkelmann, "Roman Militaria" in M. Merrony (ed.), Mougins Museum of Classical Art, France, 2011, p. 255, fig. 54
  • Thomas Fischer, Die Armee der Caesaren: Archäologie und Geschichte, 2012, p. 209, no. 303
  • M. Merrony, Musée d’Art Classique de Mougins, La Collection Famille Levett, France, 2012, p. 74
  • "La plus grande collection privée d’armures, de casques, de boucliers au monde", Egypte Ancienne, May/June/July 2013, p. 70
  • B. Griffiths et al., Hadrian’s Cavalry, UK, 2017, p. 28
  • M.C. Bishop, "Along the Wall with Hadrian", Minerva: the International Review of Ancient Art & Archaeology, May/June 2017, p. 12, no. 10a-10b
  • K. Schörle (ed.), L’armée de Rome, la puissance et la gloire, Musée départemental Arles antique, France, 2018, front cover, p. 80, no. 37
  • I. Appy, "L’armée de Rome à Arles antique", La Provence, 15th December 2018, [on-line] available at https://www.laprovence.com/article/edition-arles/5287922/larmee-de-rome-a-larles-antique.html
  • "Expo musée d’Arles “L’Armée de Rome, la puissance et la gloire"", Human-hist, 19th December 2018, [on-line] available at https://humanhist.com/actualite/expo-musee-arles-armee-de-rome/
  • "L’armée de Rome, la puissance et la gloire", Foundation Gandur pour l’art, 22nd April 2019, [on-line] available at https://www.fg-art.org/fr/exposition-prets/larmee-de-rome-le-pouvoir-et-la-gloire
  • J. Coulston, "The power and the glory", Minerva: the International Review of Ancient Art & Archaeology, March/April 2019, Volume 30, Number 2, p. 16, no. 5
  • T. Fischer, Army of the Roman Emperors : Archeology and History, Oxford, 2019, Front cover, p. 180, fig. 303
  • L. Rivière, "Une vie de légionnaire" in Musée de la Légion étrangère (ed.), Invictus, au coeur de deux Légions mythiques, Musée de la Légion étrangère, Aubagne, 2020, p. 28

Exhibitions

  • Musée d'Art Classique de Mougins (MACM), Mougins, France, from June 2011
  • Hadrian’s Cavalry, Tullie House Museum, Carlisle, Hadrian’s Wall Country, UK, 8th April 2017 — 10th September 2017
  • L’armée de Rome, la puissance et la gloire, Musée de départemental de l’Arles antique, Arles, France, 15th December 2018 — 22nd April 2019
  • Invictus. Au coeur de deux légions mythiques, Musée de la Légion étrangère, Aubagne, France, 10th September 2020 — 3rd October 2021

N.B. Our online collection is being continually updated thanks to ongoing research and documentation efforts carried out by the MACM documentation team. Any additional information is welcome, please contact us.

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