Lot 1071
A pastiche (composed of parts from various originals) of a southern Italian Pilos helmet, 4th–3rd centuries BC..
Works of Art, Antiquities & Ancient Art | A109kua | Live auction | 1190 Lots
Description
Typical Pilos helmet assembled from many parts of an original, however largely supplemented by fragments of other helmets or objects in sheet bronze. The broken edges partly adapted arbitrarily. Conically tapering, sugarloaf-shaped calotte with a rounded head. Separated at the bottom by a constriction, a approx. 4.3 cm wide, slightly outward-flared brim, the lower edge of which is reinforced by a moulding. The plume holders with leaf-shaped attachments and upward-pointing spikes are original and likely belonging to the basic substance of a helmet, of which larger sections are also preserved, primarily from the lower part. The helmet stabilised on the inside with green-tinted synthetic resin. The exterior surfaces of the incorporated fragments mostly show the reddish-brown cuprite layer with green oxide deposits. The joins often additionally patched with modern solder. The overall appearance offers a visually very pleasing example of a Pilos helmet without notable deformations and with a smooth, very well-prepared surface. Height 26 cm, width 20.5 cm, length 24.3 cm. Published in: Hermann Born, Restaurierung antiker Bronzewaffen. Sammlung Axel Guttmann Bd. 2 (Mainz 1993), Beispiel XIX (4 pages without page number). CULTURAL ASSET! (modern manipulation!)Provenance: From the Axel Guttmann Collection (estate). Acquired for the collection at Sotheby’s London, auction in December 1990 (Antiquities), lot 483.
Condition: II Questions about the lot?
