Among the helmets on view will be a selection of rare 15th-century sallets worn by Italian and German knights; elaborately decorated parade helmets worn by the guards of Pier Luigi Farnese, duke of Parma and Piacenza (1525-1547, duke from 1545), and Pope Julius III (1487-1555, elected pope in 1550); sturdy tournament helmets made for use in the joust and for combat on foot at the barriers; and shot-proof siege helmets weighing more than 20 pounds. Although most helmets are unsigned and therefore anonymous, several can be attributed on the basis of their form or decoration to the leading armorers of the day, among them Kolman Helmschmid (1470-1532) of Augsburg and Kunz Lochner (ca. 1510-1567) of Nuremberg. Among the rediscovered treasures previously overlooked is a richly silvered and gilt helmet bearing the arms and devices of Vicenzo Gonzaga (1562-1612), duke of Mantua, a Milanese work of about 1587.

This exhibition complements the series of related helmets from this period on view in the Museum's Arms and Armor Galleries. European Helmets, 1450-1650 is organized by Stuart W. Pyhrr, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Curator in the Department of Arms and Armor. December 21,1999