Original Item: Only One Available. This is an amazing Victorian Era iron made copy of King Henry II of Frances’ parade helmet by Filippo Negroli in 1553. Filippo Negroli (ca. 1510–1579) was an armourer from Milan. He was renowned as being extremely skilled, and may be considered the most famous armourer of all time. Working together with his younger brothers Giovan Battista (ca. 1511–1591) and Francesco (ca. 1522–1600) in the Negroli family workshop headed by their father Gian Giacomo Negroli (ca. 1463–1543), Filippo was specialized in repoussé of armour, whereas his brother Francesco was renowned for his damascening skills. Filippo's pieces are considered especially remarkable because they were wrought in steel, rather than the more-easily worked iron that was the traditionally assumed medium.

He made parade armour for several esteemed clients, including Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and Guidobaldo II della Rovere.

Now this is not an identical copy of Negroli’s parade helmet due to Victorian Era copyright laws in England. The artwork is extremely, almost identical in appearance to the original, but placement is different as well as the “mohawk” top comb design as well as the front visor eye slots.

This lovely iron helmet is one of a series authorized by Henry Cole of the South Kensington Museum (later the Victoria and Albert Museum) made by Elkington. Developed by Moritz von Jacobi in 1837. In 1867 Cole drew up the “International Convention for Promoting Universal Reproductions of Works of Art”. Elkington pieces were not produced for sale but for exhibition and all were of exceptional quality and produced in extremely limited editions. This helmet’s decorations were designed by the French royal engraver, Etienne Delaune, and depict the glories of the Roman Empire including reliefs of Julius Caesar and Pompeus Magnus. The skull has a high comb embossed in relief with heroic figures, upper and lower visor all embossed, and a gorget of two plates embossed with foliage in relief.

The helmet is in good overall condition with some repairs and evidence of solder and missing attachments but overall very presentable. Elkington armor, shields and helmets are very collectible and as they were made specially for museum exhibition to a standard so high that “Museum curators cannot tell the difference between the copies and the originals.

Words just don’t do any justice for this beautiful work of art so be sure to closely study our pictures of this example.

Comes ready to display in your medieval collections!