5th Sep, 2024 11:00
Three-Day Auction: Asian Art Discoveries
1474
A SILVER-DAMASCENED ‘DRAGON’ IRON HELMET, 17TH-18TH CENTURY OR LATER
Sold for €1,430
including Buyer's Premium
Tibet. The exterior of the helmet made from nine curved plates, seven of which are flat-inlaid in silver with shou symbols and Tibetan characters. Each plate is joined by a scalloped rim with prominent central rib, the upper tip of each rib notched to enclose the base of the knopped plume. The front of the helmet reinforced with a scalloped plate decorated with a dragon head at the center flanked by two sinuous dragons. The lower edge of the helmet pierced with numerous holes to secure the three-tiered neck guard.
Inscriptions: To the plates, ‘Lu’, ‘Sa’, ‘Sam’, and ‘Meh’.
Provenance: French private collection.
Condition: Good condition with wear, casting flaws, and traces of use. Corrosion, encrustations, minor nicks and losses, light scratches. The silver inlays are well preserved.
Weight: 2,447 g (excl. stand) and 3,048 g (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 44 cm
This type of segmented Tibetan helmet, used originally with a coat of lamellar armor, was probably derived from Sasanian Persian helmets of the 3rd century CE. Until the 17th century, Tibet was a disunited country where a number of regional secular rulers allied to religious orders vied for power and in which warfare was not uncommon. A sizeable armor production in Tibet was the result of this situation. The present helmet, with fine silver inlays depicting fierce dragons, is a rare example of this group.
Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related iron helmet of similar construction lacking the silver inlays, dated to the 14th-17th century, Tibet, in the collection of the National Museums Scotland, reference number A.1909.406 A. Compare a related iron helmet, dated to the 16th-17th century, Tibet, in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 2008.354.
Tibet. The exterior of the helmet made from nine curved plates, seven of which are flat-inlaid in silver with shou symbols and Tibetan characters. Each plate is joined by a scalloped rim with prominent central rib, the upper tip of each rib notched to enclose the base of the knopped plume. The front of the helmet reinforced with a scalloped plate decorated with a dragon head at the center flanked by two sinuous dragons. The lower edge of the helmet pierced with numerous holes to secure the three-tiered neck guard.
Inscriptions: To the plates, ‘Lu’, ‘Sa’, ‘Sam’, and ‘Meh’.
Provenance: French private collection.
Condition: Good condition with wear, casting flaws, and traces of use. Corrosion, encrustations, minor nicks and losses, light scratches. The silver inlays are well preserved.
Weight: 2,447 g (excl. stand) and 3,048 g (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 44 cm
This type of segmented Tibetan helmet, used originally with a coat of lamellar armor, was probably derived from Sasanian Persian helmets of the 3rd century CE. Until the 17th century, Tibet was a disunited country where a number of regional secular rulers allied to religious orders vied for power and in which warfare was not uncommon. A sizeable armor production in Tibet was the result of this situation. The present helmet, with fine silver inlays depicting fierce dragons, is a rare example of this group.
Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related iron helmet of similar construction lacking the silver inlays, dated to the 14th-17th century, Tibet, in the collection of the National Museums Scotland, reference number A.1909.406 A. Compare a related iron helmet, dated to the 16th-17th century, Tibet, in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 2008.354.
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