Page:A record of European armour and arms through seven centuries (Volume 1).djvu/322

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perished and not of a type suitable to the skull-piece. This visor has since been removed, and brass staples, modern but accurately copied from old ones, have been added, to which are now hung a camail. We can only cite one other genuine example of this type of head-piece from our English collections—that small skull-piece in the collection of Mr. Henry G. Keasby. It is fine in outline, though much perished through rust. The holes through which passed the rivets for the visor attachment show that the visor was originally hinged at the side. This skull-piece is earlier than the Barry example and may date from the middle of the XIVth century (Fig. 291). For further illustrations we look to the Continent, but we have to be on our guard against forgeries, which are only too plentiful.

Fig. 292. Visored "great" bascinet helmet, early XVth century

In place of the camail of chain is substituted one of plate. H 24, Musée d'Artillerie, Paris

Fig. 293. Skull-piece of a bascinet helmet

The visor of which was hinged from the side. French, closing years of the XIVth century. Now in the Metropolitan Museum of New York

The Musée d'Artillerie of Paris can show ten examples, among which is a unique specimen with its camail of laminated steel plates (H 24)—a magnificent head-piece, but probably of early XVth century date. Its history is unrecorded (Fig. 292). The museums of Chartres and Nancy each possess a bascinet of the Wallace type. In France, too, in the famous Collection d'Arlincourt, is a very splendid bascinet, one of a French late XIVth century form. M. Chabrières Arlés used to possess, in addition to the Londesborough example to which we have alluded, a fine Italian bascinet he purchased in Lyons nearly fifty years ago.

The collection of Mr. W. Riggs, which used to be in Paris, but is now