Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Helmet of Saint Wenceslas Comeback of
Helmet of Saint Wenceslas Comeback of
At last, now you can admire the restored original Helmet of Saint Wenceslas in its full glory at a permanent exhibition entitled The Story of Prague Castle. The helmet which graces the exhibition The Story of Prague Castle is a precious relic of St Wenceslas and the Saint himself is often depicted wearing it. This is the most precious piece of ironwork in all of the Czech Republic, said Milena Bravermanov, the curator of the collections of Prague Castle.
The helmets nose-piece probably represents the figure of Jesus Christ, but some are of the opinion that it may be the German god Odin. Based on expert analysis, the piece may have been used during actual fighting. A research project that had been done prior to the restoration revealed that the helmet is about as thick as other helmets used in fights. Additionally, there is a scratch caused by an axe or by some other sharp and heavy object.
Danger of corrosion
We x-rayed it, chemically analysed corroding agents and compared it with the situation in 1989 when we carried a similar study, said the restorer of archaeological metals, Alena Havlnov. We discovered that the iron hidden under the silver plates that decorate the nose-piece was corroding, which could cause the nose-piece to fall off in future. Therefore it needs to be protected, said Havlnov. Conservation and restoration involves a high degree of team work which his why a committee was established to deal with the helmet. It was composed of top restorers, art historians, gunsmiths and representatives of the chapter house that owns the helmet. We agreed to remove the corroding agents that cover the helmet. After the surface had been cleaned, the helmet was covered with varnish that should prevent the silver foil from peeling off. To top it off, the calotte (the iron piece that covers the head) was treated with wax to rid it of the undesirable gloss.
Strana 1 z 2
More than a million visitors have already seen the permanent exhibition The Story of Prague Castle and admired the wonderful pieces that are on display, one of them being a replica of the Crown of St Wenceslas.
Strana 2 z 2