Barbute

The barbute resembles classical Greek helmets (most strikingly the Corinthian) and may have been influenced by the renewed interest in ancient artefacts common during this period.

[5][page needed] However, the barbute was often worn with a stiffened mail collar, termed a "standard", which protected the throat and neck.

Some examples of the barbute, as in a number of Italian sallets, were covered in a rich decorative fabric, typically heavy velvet.

A contemporary painting commissioned by Federigo da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino, shows a barbuta surmounted by a crest in the shape of a heraldic eagle.

[7] Barbutes were most commonly raised from a single sheet of metal; however, modern metallurgy has shown that many Italian Renaissance helmets were essentially of iron faced with steel, which was annealed and quenched to give it the desired characteristics of a hard outer surface, with a ductile inner layer which prevented shattering.