ITALIAN ‘GIOCO DEL PONTE’ VISOR HELMET

VISOR HELMET FOR THE GIOCO DEL PONTE GAME
Italy or Austria / c. 1530–1540, adapted for the game in the 17th century

A very fine and strong visor helmet with a 1530-40’s single-piece forged skull. The crest is with recessed lines. The fine beaver and neck plate are original to the helmet. The visor, although original to the helmet, has been cut and adapted with protective bars and good vision for the Game of the Bridge (Gioco del Ponte) held annually in Pisa, Italy. The front collar plate is 16th century but the unmatching style of the roping suggest it is originally from another helmet and therefore a slightly later addition. All the parts have original matching vermilion colour theme for the game. Inside the helmet is painted a typical war motto ‘CORSMI SANGUIGNI’.

The Game of the Bridge (Gioco del Ponte) is a traditional mock battle event held annually in the city of Pisa, Italy in 1568–1807 and again from the 1930s onwards. The battle was fought between two teams, one dressed in gold-painted armour and the other in vermilion. The aim of the game was to take control of the bridge over the Arno River that divides the city and thus take the city over. Numerous pieces of armour used in the game have survived to the present day, usually heavily modified and repaired.

The helmet has an amazing preservation of an original colour and it is exceptional for the originality. Normally these helmets have seen rough life and they were matched and hammered with all kinds of parts from different periods. This gives us a conclusion that our piece has been out of the Pisa storages for a long period and has not usual history of the battered GP helmets.

Height 29 cm
Weight 3130 grams

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