Sutton Hoo Helmet (sculpture)

Sutton Hoo Helmet is a 2002 sculpture by the English artist Rick Kirby. It is a representation of the Anglo-Saxon helmet by the same name found in the Sutton Hoo ship-burial. It was commissioned by the National Trust to suspend outside an exhibition hall at Sutton Hoo visitor centre.

About Sutton Hoo Helmet (sculpture) in brief

Summary Sutton Hoo Helmet (sculpture)Sutton Hoo Helmet is a 2002 sculpture by the English artist Rick Kirby. It is a representation of the Anglo-Saxon helmet by the same name found in the Sutton Hoo ship-burial. It was commissioned by the National Trust to suspend outside an exhibition hall at Sutton Hoo visitor centre. At the opening of the centre, the sculpture was unveiled by the Literature Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney on 13 March 2002. It remained in place, dominating the entrance of the exhibition hall, until 2019, when it was moved to the entrance to Sutton Hoo site.

The sculpture is 1. 8 m high, 1. 2 m wide, and 1. 6 m deep, and weighs 900 kg. It is made of mild steel plates that are coloured red. Designed to have a \”fierce presence\”, it is inspired by the fragmentary appearance of the reconstructed helmet rather than the glistening replica made by the Royal Armouries. In the course of making the sculpture, Kirby completed a mock-up, or maquette, which was offered for sale by a private art gallery in 2005, with an asking price of £9,600.