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Collections

Helmet15th century

Not on view
Steel helmet with domed, tent-shaped profile and pointed finial, decorated overall with silver-inlaid Arabic calligraphy and fluted geometric patterns
Steel helmet with pointed finial and ribbed, onion-shaped dome, decorated with silver-inlaid Arabic calligraphy bands and scrolling floral motifs against a darkened surface.
Title
Helmet
Culture
Iranian
Place Made
Iran
Date Made
15th century
Medium
Steel with silver inlay
Dimensions
11 3/4 x 9 in. (29.85 x 22.86 cm)
Credit Line
The Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection, gift of Joan Palevsky
Accession Number
M.73.5.323
Classification
Arms and Armor
Collecting Area
Art of the Middle East: Islamic
Curatorial Notes

Helmets of this type are traditionally referred to as turban helmets because of their bulbous shape. Such helmets were once completed by chain mail hung from the back and the sides. Related elements of armor likely made in northwestern Iran in the late fifteenth century include a shirt of mail and plate (M.73.5.729.1) and two leg guards (M.73.5.729.7 and M.73.5.729.8). It is not possible to know if the elements were ever used together.

Selected Bibliography
  • Pal, Pratapaditya, ed. Islamic Art: The Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection. Los Angeles: Museum Associates, 1973.

  • Lo Terrenal y lo Divino: Arte Islámico siglos VII al XIX Colección del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Ángeles. Santiago: Centro Cultural La Moneda, 2015.

  • Komaroff, Linda. Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016.
  • Çakir Phillip, Filiz. "A Reflection on Armour of Then and Now." In Iranian Art from the Sasanians to the Islamic Republic: Essays in Honour of Linda Komaroff, edited by Sheila S. Blair, Jonathan M. Bloom and Sandra S. Williams. Edinburgh University Press, 2024.

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