c. 1620 European Lobstertail Helmet - Authentic 17th Century Antique Plate Armor

Description

From the estates of Robert W Waitt III & Robert W Waitt IV of Richmond, Virginia, this 17th century antique is a rare example of a lobster-tailed pot helmet, also known as the
zischägge
, horseman's pot or harquebusier's pot.
It is the "Dutch" type of post-Renaissance combat helmet which was commonly used by cavalry and officers in the  European Thirty Years' War of 1618 to 1648. It's also well established that many lobstertail helmets were re-used in the English Civil Wars of 1642-51. After that, plate armor including helmets gradually fell out of use as it proved to be of little protection against increasingly sophisticated firearms.
But in the early 1600s, the Dutch style pot helmet was the principle headpiece for light cavalry. With its sliding nose guard, brim, earflaps, and lobstertail neck guard, the design offered protection from sword cuts while allowing optimal peripheral vision.
This helmet is well preserved. It's made of steel with domed rivets and it has its original, untouched surface.
Its form is a six-ribbed, one-piece skull, topped with a small, circular plate with a knob that I assume would facilitate the attachment of a plume.
The fixed brim, attached with rivets, has an opening in its center to allow the protective nose guard to slide up and down. The nose guard is held in position by a thumb screw which still works well, holding firmly.
The articulated lobstertail is formed of four tiers ("lames") secured by domed rivets.
The ear flaps had been attached to the helmet with leather straps and remnants of the leather remain on both the helmet and on the two, steel, triangular ear flaps.
condition notes: There's a hole in the steel on the left rear side of the helmet. And the brim has a break in the steel at the left corner. Hints of a fabric lining can be detected on the interior of the skull, but no fabric remains.
Measurements:
16" long
10" wide
Circumference at helmet opening is from 7.5" to 8" (not perfectly round)
Weight including ear flaps: about 3 1/2 lbs.
Guaranteed to be an original antique of the early 1600s.
Ships well protected and insured.