A dark steel head piece that is pointed at the top and has black chainmail hanging from it along the sides. The top of the head piece is decorated with a gold line pattern and a thick gold band along the bottom. There is a narrow blade at the top of the dome.
Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College

A dark steel head piece that is shown in front of a red background. The top of the head piece comes to a point in the center and has long, black chainmail hanging from it along the sides and shorter chainmail in the front. The top of the head piece is decorated with a gold line pattern, embossed details in between the gold lines, and a thick, gold floral decorated band along the bottom. The top also has a narrow blade pointing up at the very top and two shorter pieces pointing up on the sides. On the bottom-center is a thin piece that goes down below in front of the piece. This piece has fanned shapes at the top and bottom that have the gold floral pattern.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1960.39
Title
Helmet with Chain-Mail Guard
Classification
Armor
Work Type
armor
Date
17th century
Places
Creation Place: Middle East, Iran
Period
Safavid period
Culture
Persian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/216688

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Watered steel with gold overlay and inlay with steel and brass chain mail
Dimensions
67 x 20 cm (26 3/8 x 7 7/8 in.)
Inscriptions and Marks
  • inscription: Inscribed with Persian verses celebrating heroes of the Shahnama (Book of Kings)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of John Goelet
Accession Year
1960
Object Number
1960.39
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Publication History

  • Anthony Welch, Shah 'Abbas and the Arts of Isfahan, exh. cat., Asia Society Museum (New York, NY, 1973), page 60/figure 46
  • Kristin A. Mortimer and William G. Klingelhofer, Harvard University Art Museums: A Guide to the Collections, Harvard University Art Museums and Abbeville Press (Cambridge and New York, 1986), page 84/figure 90
  • Rahim Habibeh, Inscription As Art In the World of Islam - Unity In Diversity, exh. cat., Hofstra University (Hempstead, NY, 1996), page 33/figure 2
  • Walter B. Denny and Aileen Ribeiro, Court and Conquest: Ottoman Origins and the Design for Handel's Tamerlano at the Glimmerglass Opera, exh. cat., Kent State University Museum (Kent State, OH, 1999), page 42/figure 42

Exhibition History

  • Islamic Art From the Collections of the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, 08/01/1974
  • Islamic Art: The Power of Pattern, Harvard University Art Museums, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 09/23/1989 - 01/17/1990
  • Arabesque, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 12/01/1990 - 03/24/1991
  • Five Masters of Persian and Indian Painting, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 01/11/1992 - 03/09/1992
  • Shadows of God On Earth: Arts of the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal Dynasties, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 06/21/1997 - 08/31/1997
  • Court and Conquests, Ottoman Origins and the Designs for Handel's "Tamerlano" at the Glimmerglass Opera, Equitable Gallery, New York, 11/18/1998 - 01/23/1999; Kent State University Museum, Kent, 02/17/1999 - 04/25/1999
  • The Sport of Kings: Art of the Hunt in Iran and India, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 01/22/2005 - 06/26/2005

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu