Filippo Negroli's 1543 Burgonet

Filippo Negroli’s 1543 Burgonet is a stunning work of art. Except, it’s not just a work of art. A burgonet is a helmet and a helmet is used in battle; Negroli’s work is both beautiful and battle-ready. So what was this helmet’s purpose? Was it a parade helmet? Or was it functional? As it turns out, it’s both — the design was informed by its function. So, when researching this burgonet, it is important to look at not only the source of its design, but the reason for its existence and the history of that form of craftsmanship. This paper lays out the sources by first casting a wider net and then narrowing in on specific details. The first source discusses courtly fashion during the Renaissance, with a specific focus on armor. The second source

During that time period, fashion was based upon the brilliance of light. Reflective, bright objects indicated luster and resplendence. As such, armor was perfectly suited to be a fashion item. According to McCall, “Renaissance lords wore individual elements of shining armor…underneath and on top of clothing for both fashion and defense.” Now, some of these types of armor were used on the battlefield, but Lords would also wear armor at other times as well. This was for part fashion, part defense. In general, danger presented itself (assassinations were not uncommon) and wearing armor was a form of protection. But since this meant that the Lords would be required to wear armor frequently, they desired more resplendent designs. Lords wore these designs at feasts, during jousts, at weddings, and whenever else they would be in front of an audience. Thus, for those that could afford it, armor had to be something that was more than utilitarian. It had to be beautiful and expensive. And this is where Filippo Negroli came

Before his research, it was not necessarily known what metals the Negroli family used to make armors. In the Renaissance, battle armor was typically made of iron — it was strong, but also easy to manipulate. Art historians had been assuming that the Negrolis also worked with iron, as that would have made their jobs easier when crafting their extraordinary designs. To confirm this, the MET invited Williams to perform metallography, which would determine the composition of various pieces in the collection. Metallography involves removing a tiny sample of metal from the piece (from a place where it will not be missed), and then polishing and wearing down that sample until it reveals its metallic structure. Williams discovered that the majority of the pieces were actually constructed out of steel. And not just any steel — this was the highest quality steel available at the