Parade Burgonet Helmet

The helmet formed part of a half suit of armour that belonged to Guidobaldo II della Rovere (1514–1574), Duke of Urbino from 1538, having been made to his commission by the outstanding Milanese armourer Filippo Negroli. Four more parts of the suit (a breastplate and elements of the left and right pauldrons – shoulder pieces) are now in the Bargello and Stibbert Museums in Florence, as well as the Metropolitan Museum in New York. The crown of this helmet was forged from a single piece of metal in high relief. The front presents the grotesque head of some mythical creature with twisted horns and dense curly hair, a protruding snout and teeth. The top has been fashioned in the form of a crocodile with a long head, scaly body and long tail. The helmet and the other parts of this armour ensemble are among Negroli’s finest works and are an unsurpassed creation of the Italian armourers’ art from the Renaissance era, as it transitioned into Mannerism. It is only natural to presume that this half suit, including the helmet, was used only as parade wear, intended to glorify its owner who was emulating the celebrated heroes of Antiquity, especially Roman ones, and their defensive equipment.