Lot 928

Description

Ceramic imitation closely resembling a bronze cap-knob helmet in size and construction, probably made for funerary purposes as a cover for an urn. Comparable helmet copies are known from various proto-Etruscan necropolises. The conically tapering wall with a slight curve corresponds in its dimensions quite precisely to finds of original bronze helmets, as does the column-like raised end with a knob button notched at the border. At a distance of approx. 0.5 cm from the border, a row of perforations running all around for the helmet lining, as found on original helmets. It is entirely conceivable that the present ceramic copy was also fitted with a lining. The surface originally painted overall with geometric motifs in white paint, the painting still very clearly visible in certain areas. On the cap apex, directly below the knob, four horizontal wide white bands, a band of opposing triangles framed by thin lines, and again a wider band. Below this, rectangular – or, in adaptation to the shaped ground, rather trapezoidal – metopes with geometric motifs. The helmet reassembled from sherds with almost no missing areas. One small chip at the border, no longer present. Scattered incrustation. Otherwise largely intact. Dimensions: 27.5 x 23 x 23 cm. CULTURAL ASSET!

Provenance: A private collection from Upper Austria (estate), acquired by the father in the 1980s on the art market in Austria and southern Germany.

Condition: II - Questions about the lot?