Helmet

13th - early 14th century

Great Mongol State or the Golden Horde

Iron, gilding

The State Hermitage museum

This gilded helmet with ridges has a visor/demi-mask with openings for the eyes and a nose guard. At the sides of the visor and helmet there are a number of small holes for attaching a chain mail.

Mongol helmets in Eastern Europe typically were a low, spherical-conical crown and a defense for the face in the form of a long nose-guard, which conveys the real anatomical form of a hook nose, as well as two bulging "eyebrows" which meet. Another version is a demi-mask wherein these elements are joined by a protection over the eyes in the form of concave "eyelids" and a defense for the upper part of the cheeks. All helmets of this variety were supplied with a tightly fitted chain mail.

The Hermitage example is distinguished by ridges on the surface of the crown. Its decoration is characteristic for the Golden Horde: thick gilding of the entire surface of the article. Thanks to the fact that under the gilding the helmet had a layer of silver sheet, the gilding was preserved better and shone more brilliantly.