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Source Description
The term “Savoyard helmet” is used today to evoke the elite cavalry units formed by Charles Emanuel I, Duke of Savoy (1580-1630). Such helmets were designed principally to withstand and protect the wearer from shot from the powerful wheel-lock guns of the day, though their secondary function was to intimidate and terrify. The design of the helmet suggests a human face or skull. They were known as todenkopf or “death’s head” helmets in Germany. The helmet would have originally been associated with a three-quarter cuirassier armor. Similar armors are displayed nearby.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
171077
label
Savoyard Helmet (Todenkopf)
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
171077
contentType
object
title
Savoyard Helmet (Todenkopf)
description
The term “Savoyard helmet” is used today to evoke the elite cavalry units formed by Charles Emanuel I, Duke of Savoy (1580-1630). Such helmets were designed principally to withstand and protect the wearer from shot from the powerful wheel-lock guns of the day, though their secondary function was to intimidate and terrify. The design of the helmet suggests a human face or skull. They were known as todenkopf or “death’s head” helmets in Germany. The helmet would have originally been associated with a three-quarter cuirassier armor. Similar armors are displayed nearby.
date
c. 1600–20
citation
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60747036
genreSpecific
Arms and Armor
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 30.5 cm (12 in.)
cul
Italy or Germany, early 17th century
accession
2013.5
Source extras
tec
steel, blackened
tombstone
Savoyard Helmet (Todenkopf), c. 1600–20. Italy or Germany, early 17th century. Steel, blackened; overall: 30.5 cm (12 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Severance and Greta Millikin Trust, 2013.50
collection
MED - Arms & Armor
didYouKnow
This type of helmet is also called a "todenkopf," translating to "death's head."
citations
citation
Lennart Viebahn. A Pair of Luxury Flintlock Pistols by Gilbert. 2009.
page_number
Mentioned: p. 3
citation
Fliegel, Stephen. "2013 Acquisitions: Medieval Art". <em>Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine</em> 54, no. 2 (March/April 2014): 14.
page_number
Reproduced and Mentioned: p. 14
creditline
Severance and Greta Millikin Trust
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:47:41.786000
sourceId
171077
dept
Medieval Art
coll
MED - Arms & Armor
med
steel, blackened
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
ad4f75658d98040d