Prominently on display this month in the Fogg Museum are three items of exceptional artistic quality. The first of these is two headpieces of steel and gold which are featured in the exhibition of Renaissance Craftsmanship.

The steel headpiece, or morion, dates from 1575 and was worn in the state guard of Francesco de Medici, while the one of gold is a burgonet of 1550 from the Papal Guard. Both pieces represent the half century when the decoration of armor was most splendid without detracting from its defense.

Both headpieces are of course beautifully decorated. On the smooth surface of the morion in laid a surface of gilding, delicately etched, and cressed by bold strap work in black enamel. On the sides and on the comb are medallions with classical heroes.

The burgonet is more simply ornamented, having only radiating panels of gold patterened on black which leaves plenty of bright steel showing.

The next item is a recent addition to the Museum's collection of Romanesque sculpture, a wooden statue of the 12th century. It is an altar figure of the Virgin and Child and it probably comes from the region of the Ile de France.

Although parts of the heads and the base have disappeared through decay, its quality remains and ranks high among the known examples of its type, such as those in the Metropolitan Museum and the Louvre.

The third item is a group of important drawings acquired at the sale of the Oppenheimer Collection in London through the gift of an anonymous donor. Of these six are Italian, while the others include a medieval monastic drawing, an early North Italian, two distinguished figure studies in silver point by Perugino and Raphael; and heads by Luini and Liberale da Verona. In addition there is a drawing of the Holy Family by Correggio and two Flemish drawings, one by Van Dyck, the other by Rubens.