The Virtual Armory

Virtual Helmet

This French helmet, made around 1615, comes from an armor for a cuirassier, a heavy cavalryman who wore armor from his head to his knees, and carried a sword and a pair of pistols. This is an unusually fine example from a period when the armorer’s craft was going into decline, and may have been made for a member of the French royal household. You can see it on display at the museum, but you won’t see it from behind—turn it around to admire the fine openwork plumeholder in back, once adorned with ostrich feathers to add a fashionable touch at the royal court.

Higgins Armory Museum #702

Three-quarter armor for a cuirassier

France, c. 1610-20

Steel with modern blueing; brass; gold; fabric; modern leather and restorations

Weight: 63 lb. 9 oz.