Lot 124
Central Asia, northern India/Pakistan, Indo-Persian culture, ca. 18th century; India, ca. first half of the 19th century CE. A sturdy forged-iron armor ensemble. The chain mail armor shirt is comprised of hundreds of small interlocking rings which form the arms and torso, an obverse chest slit, and wrapped with a leather belt. Two solid frontal iron plates cover most of the abdomen, and dozens of thin, vertically-arranged rectangular panels protect the warrior's back. Accompanying the armor is a bowl-shaped Khula Khud iron helmet with a pair of projecting horns, a central spike, faint hammered floral motifs and Kufic script, and chain mail mesh. A curved 19th century Indian iron-manganese jambiya dagger hangs from the belt and has a wooden sheath and high-grade (88%) silver plates for the handle, pommel, and sheath adornments. Custom display torso included. Size (shirt): 11.5" W x 23" H (29.2 cm x 58.4 cm); (helmet) 7.5" W x 11" H (19 cm x 27.9 cm); (dagger): 6.5" W x 12.625" H (16.5 cm x 32.1 cm); (stand w/ helmet): 33" H (83.8 cm).
For a stylistically-similar example of a horned Khula Khud helmet, please see The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 96.5.125: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/25031
For a stylistically-similar example of Indo-Persian chain mail armor from the 16th century CE with gilded frontal plates, please see The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 2008.245: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/35633
Provenance: private Davis collection, Houston, Texas, USA
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#138764
- Condition: Shirt has losses to some chain links on arms, chest, and around waist, with string strung through loops on front plates. Helmet has fading to hammered details, losses to some links, and loosening to projecting components. Belt shows some desiccation and nice patina to buckle. Dagger has some oxidized patina on blade and nice patina on silver components, slight bending to blade, and fraying to exterior fabric. Light earthen deposits and nice patina throughout.
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