Military headgear
At Palazzo Silva, several military headgear are preserved, and the following four are highlighted on display:
Dragoon helmet, Kingdom of Sardinia (Piedmont, during the reign of Carlo Alberto), ca. 1845
Legend has it that this cavalry helmet was designed by the renowned Venetian sculptor Antonio Canova. With its neoclassical/Hellenic style, it was highly appreciated and used practically unchanged by the most prestigious cavalry regiments (the four Dragoon regiments or “heavy” cavalry) until 1943. It was eventually replaced by the French Model 1915 metal helmet.
Pickelhaube of the Infantry, 9th Regiment Granatieri ‘Graf Gneisenau’ Pomeranian Corps, model 1867
This helmet was used to defend the heads of infantry soldiers from saber strikes, thanks to the “pickel” or “spike” that deflected the blows. It worked well because it also increased the soldiers’ profile, intimidating the enemy. It dates back to the Franco-Prussian War and is still worn today by the horse guards of the King of England in London.
Bavarian helmet model 1845 for artillery soldiers
This rare – and practically untouched – leather helmet bears the crowned “L” emblem of the famous, mysterious, and ill-fated King of Bavaria, Ludwig II (reigned from March 1864 to June 1886). Its “Latin” shape, with the woolen crest, distinguished Bavaria, a Catholic kingdom in southern Germany, from the pickelhaube used in Protestant Prussia.
Piedmontese “Shako” for an officer of the National Guard, high uniform, 1848/49
The National Guard played a significant role in the Italian Risorgimento, taking part in battles and defending the “interest of the Homeland.” The National Guards, of French origin, played a crucial role in fighting against brigandage (1861-1865) and were dissolved in 1876 due to their inefficiency during the Third War of Independence (1866). The symbols on the headgear assert the political and military proposal and, in particular, the role of regal power of the Kingdom of Sardinia (i.e., Piedmont), as the founder of a united Italy.
