Battle Scarred – Greek Corinthian HelmetA battered Greek Corinthian helmet dating from 600–550 BCE bears the visible marks of its long history. Photographed in black and white, the simple form and damaged surface create a stark contrast to the more ornate pieces in the Echoes in Steel series.

While looking through the catalog and choosing which pieces I thought might make good prints for auction, I came across this Greek Corinthian helmet dating from 600–550 BCE.

The rather large chunk missing from it immediately caught my attention. These pieces can be incredibly beautiful, but damage like this is another reminder that they were created for a pretty savage purpose.

Whenever I look at armor, I find myself trying to imagine what it was like for the person who actually wore it. Looking at this helmet, I can't help wondering about the story behind that missing piece. Was it damaged in battle? Did whoever wore it have a particularly bad day—or maybe even his last day—wearing it? I don't know, but it's hard not to wonder.

Dating back that far, there's also much less decoration than on many of the later pieces in the collection. It's not trying particularly hard to look pretty. It's functional, direct, and I think that simplicity makes the battered surface and missing section even more striking.

For this photograph, that's what I wanted to emphasize. Nothing elaborate. Just the helmet, its scars, and all the unanswered questions that come with them.

Echoes in Steel grew from an opportunity through the Worcester Art Museum Members Council to create photographs for auction at its annual members gala. As a thank-you for that opportunity, and to support the arts, I’m donating 50% of the profits from print sales in this series to the Worcester Art Museum.