Cabasset late 16th c.
Tall, elegant one piece bowl rising to a small stalk. Central crease. Narrow brim extending to a rounded point front and back. The brim sweeps down on the sides mimicing the base of the skull. Brim with inward turned roped roll at the edge. Rough from the hammer surface with old black finish. The hammer work is rougher on this piece than is typical, but I have seen similarly rough work on some of the rough Fenton cabassets. Retains all lining rivets and rosettes which still secure a cloth lining band using internal "donut" washers. Single small dent in the front of the central crease. The brim includes an old patch on the inside that appears to be original - part of the construction process. It patches a crack in the roll in the brim and it is rolled into the roll, so it was almost certainly a patch that was made before the roll was formed. This appears to be in nearly original condition. Many of these are described as having come through Fenton and Sons, but there is no provenance on this piece. The form of the bowl, stalk and brim appear to be somewhat in between the typical form illustrated by item number A-351 and the morion-cabasset form illustrated by item number A-323 and item number A-429..
Measurements: Weight: 3 pounds 6 ounces (1535g). Thickness: highly variable even in the same area - 0.065 in. near the stalk, 0.055 in. in the middle and 0.085 in. above the lining strap. The thickness varies a lot. There are spots in the middle up to 0.075 in. and down to 0.040 in. Some spots above the lining strip are 0.091 in.
If you have any questions, please send them to Wade Allen
This site last updated Fri Aug 07 12:20:29 EDT 2026