Leg guard (greave) (one of two)15th century

Not on view

Pair of steel vambraces with silver-inlaid arabesque scrollwork and Arabic calligraphy, with chain mail segments connecting the plates

Close-up of a dark steel surface with dense silver inlay decoration, featuring a central lobed cartouche containing Arabic calligraphy surrounded by scrolling arabesque foliage; two domed rivets visible above the medallion.

Steel arm guard with silver-inlaid arabesques and interlaced floral scrollwork on a darkened, finely textured surface; central cartouche encloses Arabic calligraphy beneath a scalloped arch; riveted mail panels attached along both sides.

Title: Leg guard (greave) (one of two)
Place Made: Iran
Date Made: 15th century
Medium: Steel with silver inlay and traces of gilding
Dimensions: 17 1/2 x 4 13/16 in. (44.45 x 12.22 cm)
Credit Line: The Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection, gift of Joan Palevsky
Accession Number: M.73.5.729.7
Classification: Arms and Armor
Collecting Area: Art of the Middle East: Islamic
Curatorial Notes: This leg guard and a second example (M.73.5.729.8, not a matched pair) were worn only by a horseman as they protected just the outer sides of his legs; the inner sides would have been pressed against his steed. The inscriptions on both include incomplete and anonymous titulature. 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 a helmet (M.73.5.323). 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.

Leg guard (greave) (one of two)15th century

Not on view

Title: Leg guard (greave) (one of two)
Place Made: Iran
Date Made: 15th century
Medium: Steel with silver inlay and traces of gilding
Dimensions: 17 1/2 x 4 13/16 in. (44.45 x 12.22 cm)
Credit Line: The Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection, gift of Joan Palevsky
Accession Number: M.73.5.729.7
Classification: Arms and Armor
Collecting Area: Art of the Middle East: Islamic
Curatorial Notes: This leg guard and a second example (M.73.5.729.8, not a matched pair) were worn only by a horseman as they protected just the outer sides of his legs; the inner sides would have been pressed against his steed. The inscriptions on both include incomplete and anonymous titulature. 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 a helmet (M.73.5.323). 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.