05-24-2013, 12:01 AM
I am posting a recent project. One of my students was interested in reconstructing the boar's tusk helmet described in Homer's Iliad. She purchased two actual tusks, made latex molds, and then produced polymer resin castings of the originals, which needed sanding and reshaping. I then worked out a conical cowhide core or armature and laced the tusks onto it with cord through holes drilled into the tusks and the leather core. We based the design on reconstructions in various Greek museums as well as on depictions of the helmets in Mycenaean ivory reliefs. There is additional leather piping between each row of tusks. The interior has a leather suspension for adjustable fit. The finished piece is remarkably light and flexible.
David Castriota