Viking Period Helmet with Nasal Guard

9th-10th century AD
A helmet fabricated from four triangular iron plates curved to conform to the human head, held by a continuous broad (circa 40mm) horizontal band and two curved cross-straps forming the bowl; additional curved plate at the brow with contoured trapezoidal nasal; rivetted construction with heads flattened to the interior surfaces, domed to the exterior, perforated rim for the attachment of a mail aventail. 1 kg, 23cm (9"). Fine condition.
Provenance
From an important English collection; acquired in the 1990s.
Footnotes
Helmets of this type were once common across Europe in the post-Roman world through to the later Middle Ages. They are illustrated, for example, in the 9th century Stuttgart Psalter and the 11th century Bayeux Tapestry. The relatively straightforward construction methods made them ideal for production in quantity for the armies of the emergent states of Europe and elsewhere.