St. Augustine Florida Excavated Spanish Morion

Jim McDougall · 11th February 2017, 06:43 PM

Excellent! It does appear to be a morion. But didn't they usually have a comb? Often the Spaniards wore cabassets. What period would this be from?
St. Augustine is one of the earliest colonial settlements in North America (excluding of course the Newfoundland situations).

What sort of colonial activity would this correspond to in the area it was excavated?

Fascinating to see a great old helmet, but it would be interesting to know more about it.

dana_w · 11th February 2017, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

Excellent! It does appear to be a morion. But didn't they usually have a comb? Often the Spaniards wore cabassets. What period would this be from?
St. Augustine is one of the earliest colonial settlements in North America (excluding of course the Newfoundland situations).

What sort of colonial activity would this correspond to in the area it was excavated?

Fascinating to see a great old helmet, but it would be interesting to know more about it.

As you are right to point out Jim, this would more properly be called a Cabasset. I've spent too much time around people calling these helmets Morions and the ones with the comb, Comb Morions.

St. Augustine was founded in 1565, for a short time the town was located on Anastasia Island and a watchtower was located there after the town was relocated back to the mainland.

The raid of St. Augustine by Sir Francis Drake in 1586 is illustrated in this hand-colored engraving, by Baptista Boazio, 1589

fernando · 11th February 2017, 07:34 PM

Apparently morions are often called cabassets, a more generic name.
Morions do indeed have a comb, while the cabasset has a little appendix on the top, called pear. Both versions were used by Spaniards and Portuguese.
This example has all looks to be original and therefore dated from the beg. XVI century.
There are a couple members with a lot of knowledge on these things.

Terry K · 12th February 2017, 02:38 AM

What a find!

fernando · 12th February 2017, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Terry K

What a find!

And with a most convincing look and extremely well recuperated

.

And if you don't mind Dana, i will show here the so called "Gold cabasset of Goa", a master piece of Indo-Portuguese art, probably ordered by a Vice-Roy, a recurrent luxury practiced by period nobility, the type of those exuberant excesses then forbidden by the King. It is indeed a repousse work in copper, covered with a thick layer of gold. The motifs depicted are various, namely hunting scenes on horse and foot, with Europeans wearing "baloon" trousers, and a number of flowers, birds and animals, including monkeys with human faces.
It was located in the Azores, for no explained reason, and it was covered with black pitch, in a way to hide its real value.

.

dana_w · 12th February 2017, 02:34 PM

VERY nice!

Jim McDougall · 12th February 2017, 09:37 PM

Dana, thank you so much for the response and additional colonial information. That really puts a nice context around this outstanding cabasset!
St. Augustine is a fascinating place, and I visited there once several years ago, not spending nearly enough time there and always longing to go back.
Your father, Jack Williams, was indeed a connoisseur of fascinating antiquities and it is great that you carry forth his astute and discerning passions.
Keep 'em coming OK!!!

All best regards
Jim

Jim McDougall · 14th February 2017, 03:06 AM

Fernando , the item on the Gold Cabasset of Goa was a great discussion we had back in 2011, and was part of one of my forays into art history and Rembrandt's use of exotic arms and armor in his works. I was trying to find out just what kind of helmet was depicted in "Man With the Golden Helmet" which once thought by the master himself but turned out to be by one of his school.
I discovered this was actually a 'pear stalk cabasset', and in your entry you noted the example of the Portuguese viceroy was of the same 'school' of highly decorated helmets of this otherwise ordinary form worn by 16th-17th century infantry and pikemen.

The artist of the "Man with the Golden Helmet" seems to have used some license by adding ear flaps, probably mindful of those seen on contemporary lobster tail helmets.

We can only wonder what the original helmet used for the basis for that worn in the "Man with the Golden Helmet" (c.1650) might have looked like, but perhaps very much like this interesting example shared here by Dana.
These cabassets were of course widely used in Europe and Spain in her colonies and provinces (including Netherlands), and clearly with Portuguese connections in their many colonial holdings.

14th February 2017, 03:06 AM	#8
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,599	Fernando , the item on the Gold Cabasset of Goa was a great discussion we had back in 2011, and was part of one of my forays into art history and Rembrandt's use of exotic arms and armor in his works. I was trying to find out just what kind of helmet was depicted in "Man With the Golden Helmet" which once thought by the master himself but turned out to be by one of his school. I discovered this was actually a 'pear stalk cabasset', and in your entry you noted the example of the Portuguese viceroy was of the same 'school' of highly decorated helmets of this otherwise ordinary form worn by 16th-17th century infantry and pikemen. The artist of the "Man with the Golden Helmet" seems to have used some license by adding ear flaps, probably mindful of those seen on contemporary lobster tail helmets. We can only wonder what the original helmet used for the basis for that worn in the "Man with the Golden Helmet" (c.1650) might have looked like, but perhaps very much like this interesting example shared here by Dana. These cabassets were of course widely used in Europe and Spain in her colonies and provinces (including Netherlands), and clearly with Portuguese connections in their many colonial holdings. Attached Images

11th February 2017, 06:43 PM	#1
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,599	Excellent! It does appear to be a morion. But didn't they usually have a comb? Often the Spaniards wore cabassets. What period would this be from? St. Augustine is one of the earliest colonial settlements in North America (excluding of course the Newfoundland situations). What sort of colonial activity would this correspond to in the area it was excavated? Fascinating to see a great old helmet, but it would be interesting to know more about it.

11th February 2017, 07:34 PM	#3
fernando (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Portugal Posts: 9,694	Apparently morions are often called cabassets, a more generic name. Morions do indeed have a comb, while the cabasset has a little appendix on the top, called pear. Both versions were used by Spaniards and Portuguese. This example has all looks to be original and therefore dated from the beg. XVI century. There are a couple members with a lot of knowledge on these things.

12th February 2017, 02:38 AM	#4
Terry K Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 86	What a find!

12th February 2017, 02:34 PM	#6
dana_w Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Southeast Florida, USA Posts: 437	VERY nice!

12th February 2017, 09:37 PM	#7
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,599	Dana, thank you so much for the response and additional colonial information. That really puts a nice context around this outstanding cabasset! St. Augustine is a fascinating place, and I visited there once several years ago, not spending nearly enough time there and always longing to go back. Your father, Jack Williams, was indeed a connoisseur of fascinating antiquities and it is great that you carry forth his astute and discerning passions. Keep 'em coming OK!!! All best regards Jim