Bascinet “Houndskull” | Knightly Helmet 1390-1410 | Hardened Steel C45 1,5 mm
The “houndskull” bascinet, modeled on a historical helmet from c. 1390–1410 from Milan (Wallace Collection, London, Inv. A69), is a classic medieval bascinet with a visor featuring a conical, protruding front reminiscent of a dog’s muzzle. This distinctive shape provides effective deflection of blows, while the pointed design makes it difficult for incoming weapons to gain purchase. Helmets of this dramatic form were used throughout Europe in the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries, with the extended front providing an excellent surface for glancing attacks.
At the end of the 14th and beginning of the 15th century, two main types of visors were used in bascinets. The first, known as the German Klappvisier, was attached to the bascinet by a single hinge located centrally on the forehead. The second type moved on two side pivots, one on each side of the bascinet. The historic example in the Wallace Collection was originally fitted with a Klappvisier. The preserved visor does not form the original pair with the bascinet — it is highly likely that the bascinet was made earlier, around 1370–1380, while the visor dates from a later period, around 1400. Both elements are authentic and historical, but they are not structurally compatible. The side pivots and the corresponding holes in the bascinet were most likely made later, possibly in the Victorian era, when the bascinet was paired with the current visor. This is evidenced by numerous gaps and mismatches, which do not occur in original sets.
The historical Wallace Collection bascinet is the only piece from Sir Richard Wallace’s collection to have ever been lent to an external exhibition. During Sir Richard’s lifetime, it was part of the historic Helmets and Mail exhibition, organized in 1880 at the Royal Archaeological Institute in London. The exhibition catalogue features one of the earliest depictions of the Wallace helmet, showing it without the present mail aventail, which was added in the first decade of the twentieth century by Sir Guy Laking.
Constructed from C45 hardened steel, 1,5 mm thick, the helmet offers solid protection while remaining relatively lightweight. Additional brass elements and leather fittings provide a distinctive character. There is also the possibility to add a decorative brass crown.
Each piece is hand-fitted to size, with options for finishing, aventail, additional accessories, and brass decorations, making the helmet unique and perfectly adapted to the wearer’s needs.
