The Coventry Sallet is a 15th-century helmet now on display at

Herbert Art Gallery and Museum Herbert Art Gallery & Museum (also known as the Herbert) is a museum, art gallery, records archive, learning centre, media studio and creative arts facility on Jordan Well, Coventry, England. Overview The museum is named after Sir Alfred Herb ...

. English

sallet The sallet (also called ''celata,'' ''salade'' and ''schaller'') was a combat helmet that replaced the bascinet in Italy, western and northern Europe and Hungary during the mid-15th century. In Italy, France and England the armet helmet was also p ...

s have been considered both rare and important.

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

, 13 August 1927: Arms And Armour. New Exhibits At Victoria And Albert Museum

Description

Herbert Art Gallery and Museum - Coventry Sallet

The Sallet is 11 inches (27.9 cm) in height, 12.25 inches (31.1 cm) from front to back and is 7.75 inches (17.9 cm) wide. It weighs 5.25 pounds (2.4 kg). It has a short tail and a jawbone type

visor A visor (also spelled vizor) is a surface that protects the eyes, such as shading them from the sun or other bright light or protecting them from objects. Nowadays many visors are transparent, but before strong transparent substances such a ...

with a brow reinforcing. Stylistically, it is termed a "high crowned" helmet, different from the style usually seen in Italy or Germany. A plume holder was added to the helmet at some time after its manufacture.

History

The helmet was made around 1460, during the period of English civil conflict known as the

Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These wars were fought bet ...

, and the armourer's marks suggest that it was made by an artisan originating from Italy. During the 19th century it was used in Coventry's

Godiva Procession The Godiva Procession is an annual procession in the city of Coventry, England, which re-enacts the story of Lady Godiva. Godiva Processions have been held in Coventry since the 17th century. History The first written record of the Godiva Process ...

. For a period it was kept on display at St Mary's Hall, Coventry, and is now shown at the city's

. Very few pieces of English-made armour survive from this period; the Coventry Sallet is believed to be the only example of its type in England.

References

External links

*The item is held at Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Coventry. Object reference:
AR.1962.54
' {{helmets 1460s works Collections of Herbert Art Gallery and Museum Medieval helmets Wars of the Roses Individual helmets