Burgonet all'Antica ca. 1535-45 Italian, probably Milan Classically inspired helmets embossed in high relief, sometimes in the form of fantastic beasts, were a specialty of Milanese armorers in the 1530s and 1540s. Unlike etching, embossing thinned and weakened the steel and compromised its deflective qualities, so the technique generally was limited to armors intended for ceremonial wear. While this burgonet falls far short of the high standard of modeling and finish typical of works by Filippo Negroli (ca. 1510-1579) or his cousin Giovan Paolo (ca. 1513-1569), the leading masters of armor all'antica ("in the antique manner"), it nevertheless remains a characteristic example of this classicizing Renaissance art form. The helmet is forged from a single plate of steel, the surfaces retaining only faint traces of the original fire-gilding and silver damascened details.. Burgonet all'Antica. Italian, probably Milan. ca. 1535-45. Steel, gold, silver. probably Milan. Helmets