Here are some late 12th century images of soldiers with helms with simple facemasks attached:
Murder of Becket, Spoleto, Italy, late 12th-century (http://warfare2.netai.net/12/Spoleto-Murder_of_Becket.htm)
Murder of Thomas Becket, BL Harley 5102, England, last quarter of the 12th century (http://warfare2.netai.net/12/Harley_5102-Murder_of_Becket-lg.htm)
Rolandslied, Song of Roland, Regensburg, Germany, late 12th-century (http://warfare2.netai.net/12/Rolandslied.htm)
Carved Column Capitals in the Cloister of Monreale Cathedral near Palermo in Sicily, 1174 to 1182 AD (http://warfare2.netai.net//12/Monreale_Capitals-Fig4.htm)
and possibly
Effigy of Geoffrey de Mandeville, 1st Earl of Essex, 12th-13th century (http://warfare2.netai.net/12/Geoffrey_de_Mandeville-effigy.htm)
(http://forums.totalwar.org/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=13964&d=1407673011)(http://forums.totalwar.org/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=13965&d=1407673162)(http://forums.totalwar.org/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=13966&d=1407673310)(http://i1368.photobucket.com/albums/ag197/druzhina345/12/th/Monreale_Capitals-Fig4_th.jpg)
Are the datings ok? Are there others?
MIRROR SITES
Murder of Becket, Spoleto, Italy, late 12th-century (http://warfare.likamva.in/12/Spoleto-Murder_of_Becket.htm)
Murder of Thomas Becket, BL Harley 5102, England, last quarter of the 12th century (http://warfare.likamva.in/12/Harley_5102-Murder_of_Becket-lg.htm)
Rolandslied, Song of Roland, Regensburg, Germany, late 12th-century (http://warfare.likamva.in/12/Rolandslied.htm)
Carved Column Capitals in the Cloister of Monreale Cathedral near Palermo in Sicily, 1174 to 1182 AD (http://warfare.likamva.in//12/Monreale_Capitals-Fig4.htm)
Effigy of Geoffrey de Mandeville, 1st Earl of Essex, 12th-13th century (http://warfare.likamva.in/12/Geoffrey_de_Mandeville-effigy.htm)
Druzhina
12th Century Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers (http://warfare2.netai.net/12C.htm)
I'd love to see a digitally restored version of the top one !
Great finds again, D.
Cheers - Phil
Re. the first illustration; is it likely to be a distinctive Italian style. I've never seen anything quite so decorative in a British source.
seen the first one in the flesh, married first wife in Spoleto. Lovely town, rich in history, good base for visiting that part of Umbria and not as over touristified as Assisi up the road.
Definitely more familiar with the second version than the first!
There is also a face-mask helmet in 'Nebuchadnezzar besieges Jerusalem' in the Rylands Beatus, Spain, c.1175 (http://www.warfare2.netai.net/12/Beatus-Rylands-Latin_Ms8-206v.htm)
MIRROR SITE
A face-mask helmet in 'Nebuchadnezzar besieges Jerusalem' in the Rylands Beatus, Spain, c.1175 (http://www.warfare.likamva.in/12/Beatus-Rylands-Latin_Ms8-206v.htm)
Druzhina
12th Century Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers (http://www.warfare.likamva.in/12C.htm)