Barbute

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Italian barbuta, c. 1460, of the T-shaped form, the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Italian barbuta, of the Y-shaped form with nasal - 1470–80, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Italian barbuta, 1470–80, of the more open-faced form with an arched opening, the Metropolitan Museum of Art

A barbute (also termed a barbuta, which in Italian literally means "bearded", possibly because the beard of a wearer would be visible)[1] is a visorless war helmet of 15th-century Italian design, often with a distinctive T-shaped or Y-shaped opening for the eyes and mouth.

Origins

The name 'barbuta' when applied to a helmet is first recorded in an inventory made for the Gonzaga family of Mantua in 1407. The helmet can be considered as a specialised form of the sallet, both types of helmet being ultimately derivations of the earlier bascinet. The barbute resembles classical Greek helmets (most strikingly the Corinthian) and may have been influenced by the renewed interest in ancient artifacts common during this period.[2][3]

Characteristics

This type of helmet has been described as an example of formal beauty being the result of functional efficiency.

Federigo da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino, shows a barbuta surmounted by a crest in the shape of a heraldic eagle.[7]

Unlike the sallet, the barbute seems to have enjoyed little popularity outside Italy.

Barbutes were most commonly

ductile inner layer which prevented shattering.[8]
Many barbutes feature a low front-to-back ridge, raised from the top of the helmet's skull; this served to strengthen the helmet without adding a significant amount of weight.

References

  1. ^ Grancsay, p. 186
  2. ^ Oakeshott, pp. 109-110
  3. ^ Grancsay, p. 187
  4. ^ Pyhrr, p. 92
  5. ^ Pyhrr, p. 92
  6. ^ Leonello Boccia, Armi Italiane, Zanichelli, Bologna, 1966.
  7. ^ Grancsay, p. 184
  8. ^ Grancsay, pp. 189-190

Bibliography

  • Grancsay, Stephen V. (1963) Sculpture in Steel: A Milanese Renaissance Barbute, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New Series, Vol. 21, No. 5 (Jan., 1963), pp. 182–191, Published by: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Oakeshott, Ewart (1980) European Weapons and Armour: From the Renaissance to the Industrial Revolution. Lutterworth Press.
  • Pyhrr, Stuart W. (1989) European Armor from the Imperial Ottoman Arsenal, Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 24 (1989), pp. 85–116, The University of Chicago Press on behalf of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

External links

  • Media related to Barbute at Wikimedia Commons
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