26 March 2024
The Hallaton Helmet by Francesco Galluccio
Thanks to generous grants from Leicestershire Fieldworkers, Market Harborough & the Bowdens Charity, Market Harborough Historical Society and the Friends of Leicester and Leicestershire Museums, we were able to commission archaeologist Francesco Galluccio to create a replica Hallaton Helmet.
Archaeologist and replica maker Francesco is based in Rome and has a wealth of knowledge and experience of recreating Roman armour. Francesco’s replica has been highly influenced by other cavalry helmets from the 1st century AD © Francesco Galluccio.
The helmet bowl and cheekpieces were forged from iron, creating a solid base. This involves heating and hammering the iron into shape. The original helmet would have been made in a similar way © Francesco Galluccio.
Francesco sketched out the placement of the various designs on the helmet bowl © Francesco Galluccio.
The designs were hammered into the reverse of the brass sheet using a technique is known as repoussé. Francesco also worked the outer surface using punches and hammers to create the delicate motifs © Francesco Galluccio.
Francesco planned the brow-guard using a combination of illustration and 3D moulding in plaster to work out the volume. The plaster was later removed so that a filler could be inserted to support the outer covering of metal © Francesco Galluccio.
The finished replica with its silver-plated and gilded exterior gives an impression of how impressive the Hallaton Helmet once was.
Francesco Galluccio is a renowned Italian archaeologist and replica maker whose authentic recreations are displayed in museums across Europe, including the Vatican and Capitoline Museums in Rome. His replica armour is sought after by Roman re-enactors due to the exceptional craftsmanship and research that goes into creating each piece. It was one of these re-enactors who told Francesco about our replica helmet project - we were surprised that news of our project reached Rome!
Francesco first forged an iron core for the helmet as the original helmet would have been made in a similar way. Measurements were taken from 3D scans of the original by Design Futures to enable an accurate shaping and sizing. Francesco produced drawings of the motifs for the design based on information supplied by the Leicestershire Museum Collections team, this was a crucial collaborative part of the process as Francesco never saw the original helmet in person.
The decorative outer layer was worked in brass sheet (this part of the process would have been undertaken in thin silver sheet on the original helmet but the cost of this was prohibitive) and overlaid on the iron core. The helmet was silver-plated and gilded in a pattern based on evidence from the real helmet and other helmets from the 1st century AD.
The helmet is permanently displayed at Harborough Museum, Market Harborough alongside the original object as part of the Hallaton Treasure Gallery.
Thank you to our very generous funders who enabled this project to happen: Leicestershire Fieldworkers, Market Harborough & the Bowdens Charity, Market Harborough Historical Society and the Friends of Leicester and Leicestershire Museums