This bascinet is based on Churburg Bascinet No. 13, a genuine surviving example dated to the second half of the 14th century, displayed in the armoury of Churburg Castle (Castel Coira), South Tyrol, Italy. Churburg holds one of the most important surviving collections of complete Gothic plate armour anywhere in the world, giving historians rare, closely dated evidence of Late Medieval knightly equipment. Its projecting, conical visor is a textbook example of the houndskull (hounskull) form, popular among knights across Europe until around 1420.
The bascinet evolved in the early 14th century from the simpler cervelliere skullcap, quickly becoming the most widely worn helmet among European knights and professional soldiers through the 14th and 15th centuries. Its visored form, known in German as the Hundsgugel ('hound's muzzle') and in English by the folk names 'pig-face' or 'hounskull,' features a distinctive projecting, conical visor that deflected blows away from the face while the pointed shape encouraged the wearer's breath to escape downward rather than fogging the vision slits. The type's superior mobility and flexibility, compared to the earlier, fully enclosing great helm, made it the dominant battlefield helmet of the age, typically fitted with a mail aventail hanging from vervelles around the base to protect the neck and shoulders. Churburg Castle in South Tyrol, Italy, holds one of the most significant surviving collections of complete Gothic plate armour in the world, and its numbered bascinets, including No. 13, are frequently referenced in scholarly study of the type.
Part of our Medieval heritage range.
Use for:
- Medieval knightly living history and display
- Museum-style display on a stand
- Medieval-themed home decor and collections
- Historical events and Medieval fairs
- Film and theatre productions set in the Late Medieval period
- Collectors of Medieval helmet forms
