The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 24, 2025

Burgonet

c. 1510–40

Italy, Milan, 16th century

(?)
steel, radiate flutings
Overall: 25.3 x 26 x 25.3 cm (9 15/16 x 10 1/4 x 9 15/16 in.)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance 1916.1642
Location: 210A Armor Court

Did You Know?

The burgonet helmet is the successor to the previously worn sallet which was much the same but without the hinged earpieces and extended peak over the eyes.

Description

A burgonet is a light, open helmet characterized by a peak, a fall over the eyes, and hinged earpieces. Used by cavalry in the 1500s and 1600s, they were sometimes worn with a buffe, a separate detachable element that protected the face and throat not covered by the burgonet.
  • ?-1916
    Frank Gair Macomber (1849-1941), Boston, MA, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1916-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Gilchrist, Helen Ives. A Catalogue of the Collection of Arms & Armor Presented to the Cleveland Museum of Art by Mr. and Mrs. John Long Severance; 1916-1923. Cleveland: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1924. Mentioned: pp. 44-45, B11; Reproduced: Plate VIII, B11 archive.org
    Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms and Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: The Museum, 1998. pp. 74-5, 164; cat. no. 51
    Troso, Mario. Italia! Italia! 1526-1530: la prima guerra d'indipendenza italiana : con gli assedi di Milano, Napoli, Firenze, il sacco di Roma e le battaglie di Capo d'Orso e Gavinana. Parma: E. Albertelli, 2001. p. 18, F7
    Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms & Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007. cat. no. 45, p. 184
    Dobson, Christopher. Alla Tedesca? : Italian ‘Gothic’ Armour and the Export Trade. Sant’Albano Stura, Italy: Christopher Dobson, 2024. Mentioned and reproduced: pp. 163-164, fig. 184
  • Armor Court Reinstallation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer).
  • {{cite web|title=Burgonet|url=false|author=|year=c. 1510–40|access-date=24 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.1642