with rounded one-piece skull with low keel-shaped comb pierced centrally with a hole for a crest, struck at the rear of the skull on the right with the Missaglia workshops mark, the letters ‘MY’ beneath a crown and extending downwards at the nape as a medial strip of flattened triangular section, fitted at the front with a reinforce flanged across the brow, beaked visor (lifting peg replaced) recessed and forming a narrow vision slit, hinged on both sides (left hinge and visor terminal with riveted repair) and secured to pivot mounts by locking pins (pivots and pivot hasps replaced), large hinged cheek-pieces held together by a push-stud at the chin (the left cheek-piece associated, probably reworked from a contemporary armet), turned and flanged lower edge pierced with small holes, and with later rondel (some old pitting and minor lamination), 26.0 cm high

Provenance

Luigi Marzoli (1883-1965), Palazzolo sul’ Oglio, Brescia, Italy

Geoffrey P. Jenkinson (1929-2015), Guernsey

Reginald Thomas ‘Peter’ Gwynn (1905-2001), Dame Annis Barn, Epsom, Surrey

Ronald Alfred Lee (1913-2000) & Reginald Thomas Gwynn, circa 1980

Philippe Missillier Collection, no. 177C

The mark is that associated with the workshop of Antonio Missaglia and his brothers from 1452 until at least the end of the 15th century. A related armet struck with the same mark is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (acc. no. 29.158.51).

The Missaglia family were Milan’s leading armourers of the 15th century who gained international repute at an early date. Their founder was probably Tommaso dei Negroni da Ello, called Missaglia, first recorded around 1430 living in the parish of Santa Maria Beltrade in Milan. In 1445 he made an armour for Lionello d’ Este, Marquis of Ferrara and Modena, that was presented to the Bishop of Liège, and also supplied armour to the Dukes of Gonzaga in Mantua. When the celebrated condottieri Francesco Sforza (1401-66) became Duke of Milan in 1450 he appointed Tommaso and his son court armourers. In subsequent years there was a close relationship between the Missaglia and the Sforza dukes, Tomasso often gave the Duke financial support and his success is evident in his will, recording estates and possessions in the Duchy of Milan, Central Italy, France, Naples and Spain.

The production of the Missaglia workshops was considerable and was very well established by 1492 when the Venetian ambassadors, Girogio Contarini and Paolo Pisani, mission to Emperor Frederick III passed through Milan. They visited the house of Antonio Missaglia: ‘the ambassadors then went to see the house of an armourer called Antonio Missaglia, a rich man, who continually employs many men at great expense, who make suits of armour in his house. All over his house are suits of armour of every kind to the value of many thousand ducats. He furnishes almost every one with these arms.’

A sallet struck with the earlier marks of Tommaso Missaglia, formerly in the collection of Joe Kindig Jr., was sold in this room, 28th June 2023, lot 282.

See Boccia 1982, p. 290; Boccia & Coelho 1967 p. 139; Trapp 1929, p. 58 and Gamber in Thomas 1977 pp. 990-4; Laking vol. I, 1920, pp. Xl and Beverley 1999.