The magnificent goat-headed helmet came to Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg as a gift from his ally, the Duke of Milan, Francesco Sforza in 1464. In Europe at that time and after his death, Skanderbeg was first considered a humanist figure, before being considered a political and military profile.

Thus since Humanism as a cultural stream was a reassessment of ancient Greco-Roman art and culture, in the Middle Ages works of art were built on the basis of that civilization. One of this works was the making of Skanderbeg’s helmet.

In this way, the Duke of Milan recognizing the humanist passion and knowledge of Skanderbeg to carry symbolic motifs from Greco-Roman mythology and civilization, chose the figure of the goat as the nourisher of Zeus.

Skanderbeg’s helmet is made of white iron metal, forged and hammered, adorned with a strip dressed in gold. On its top lies the head of a horned goat made of bronze, also dressed in gold. The bottom part bears a copper strip adorned with a monogram separated by rosettes.

It is believed that it was brought to Italy by his wife and son who crossed the Adriatic to settle in Italy after Scanderbeg’s death.

The helmet was acquired by Archduke Ferdinand II of Tyrol in the second half of the 16th century, probably in Urbino, Italy, and eventually became part of the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.