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large bronze helmet with Nike goddess of victory
£450.00
An elegant helmet with the owls of Athena on each cheekpiece. The crest is fronted by a winged figurehead - Nike, the goddess of victory and achievement. Female figureheads were often placed at the prow of a ship, for protection and guidance, and the maritime feel of the decoration on this helmet is echoed by the wave motifs on the crest.
dimensions: Height on marble base: 39cm
quantity
about the bronzes in this collection
The bronze pieces are cast in Greece using the traditional lost wax method. As nothing is mass-produced, there will inevitably be slight variations in texture, patina, and colour. No two pieces are ever the same. If mounted on a marble base, it will be a black or very dark grey base. There may be a variation of some millimetres in the dimensions of the base from time to time. It's All Greek is so grateful and so proud to have been working closely with the Semitekolo family foundry since 1999. It has been a privilege and a joy to handle, live with, and photograph these gorgeous pieces and to pass them on to customers all over the world. |
about the helmets
The prototype for these glorious helmets is the plain, uncrested Corinthian style of the 6th century BCE. Originals of these can be seen in museums across the world. Those in the Goulandris Collection in the Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens, and in the Museum of Ancient Olympia are the inspiration for this collection, created by Kostas Semitekolo.
The motifs on the crests are either geometric designs, such as the Greek key meandros motif, or symbolic creatures such as the griffin or the sphinx.
Original helmets are much thinner and lighter than these, and the largest 'life-size' copies are also smaller than the circumference of today's average male head. They are most definitely not to be worn! The crested ones are cast in two pieces, then the crest is inserted. If you look inside the helmets, you can often see the marks left by the wax during the casting process. Where mounted, they are on a solid marble base.
more about Nike
Nike, winged goddess of victory and achievement, both in war and in peaceful competition. She is also the goddess of speed and strength. Her Roman equivalent is Victoria. She was daughter of Pallas and the river Styx, and the grand-daughter of Okeanos (Ocean). Her siblings were Zelos (Rivalry), Kratos (Strength) and Bia (Force). She had no husband and no children.
Her close connection with Zeus and Athena (sometimes she even holds an owl, Athena's attribute) is reflected in sculpture and on coins, and she is often depicted holding an olive wreath which she will place on the head of a victor. The sports company takes its name and logo from her.
Nike represents the archetype of the virgin goddess: free of having to bear children, and therefore having the freedom to excel in other ways.