If you're going to go into battle wearing a full suit of metal armor, you'd better do it in style. Here are some of the most amazing (and bizarre) helmets you've ever seen, from the age of knights and swords.
Toothface helm by an unknown Italian artist from the 17th century
Pictured above.
(via TaleWorlds)
Frog-mouth helm (or Stechhelm)
It was used by mounted knights between the 14th and 17th centuries.
(via Azincourt Alliance, Wikimedia Commons/Albrecht Dürer and Wikimedia Commons/Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Bascinet from the 14th and 15th century
By Master A, Milan, c. 1400
(via Wikimedia Commons/Kunsthistorisches Museum, Viollet-le-Duc and Swordmaster)
Sallet in the Shape of a Lion's Head, c. 1475-1480
The earliest surviving example of a Renaissance armor all'antica. The outer shell of the steel helmet was made of embossed and gilt copper.
(via Metropolitan Museum of Art)
An oil-painted sallet from Germany, c. 1500
Worn by lower class men-at-arms.
(via Wallace Collection)
Bird Man Helmet from the early 16th century
(via Pinterest/Nikolai Chebotarev)
The Horned Helmet, Innsbruck, Austria, 1511-1514
Part of a suit of armor presented by the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I to Henry VIII, made by Konrad Seusenhofer.
(via Royal Armouries and Retronaut)
Closed helmet with mask visor, by Kolman Helmschmid in Augsburg, Germany, c. 1515
Grotesque human mask-like visors were really popular in Germany and Austria in the early 16th century.
(via Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Grotesque ones from the early 16th century
(via mreen)
The Maximilian armour
These early 16th century German plate armours were first made for the Emperor Maximilian I.
(via Cool Stuff In Paris and Wikipedia/Polish Army Museum and Marinni)
Burgonet of Guidobaldo II della Rovere, Duke of Urbino, Milan, c. 1532-35
(via Taleworlds)
The ceremonial and parade helmets of Charles V
Desiderius Helmschmid, c. 1540
Desiderius Helmschmid, c. 1540
Filippo Negroli, 1533
Kolman Helmschmid, c. 1530
Filippo and Francesco Negroli, 1545
Filippo and Francesco Negroli, 1545
(via The Art Blog and Metropolitan Museum of Art and National Gallery of Art)
Burgonet with Falling Buffe and scenes of battle between the Lapiths and the Centaurs, c. 1555
Probably made for Henry II of France, but passed as a gift to the Medicis.
(via Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Burgonet, created in a Venetian workshop in the late 1550s
(via Heritage Museum)
Helmet in the form of a sea conch shell, 1618, Japan
(via Higgins Armory Museum)
A German or Italian Savoyard Helmet, c. 1620-1630
(via Liveauctioneers - 1 - 2 and Thomas Delmar)
Don't want to meet him
(via The Modern History Tumblr)
A French face-protecting expermiental helmet from the WWI, invented by Dr. Pollack, a medical officer
Based on the M15 Adrian helmet, used by the French Army during the war. You can see more experimental helmets and body armors here.
(via Army Navy Deals Blog, Industrial Anatomy and Wikimedia Commons/Janmad)
Bonus: A sniper from the Austro-Hungarian Empire during the WWI
The real Transformers.
(via strangernn)
Bonus: Brewster Body Shield
This chrome nickel steel armor was developed for the US Army in WWI by Dr. Guy Otis Brewster. It could withstand Lewis Gun bullets at 2,700 ft/s (820 m/s), but it was really heavy (40 lb or 18 kg).
(via Nibler)
Bonus: A rattan armor from Sumbawa, Indonesia
(via The Malay Art Gallery)