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Collections

Shirt of Mail and Plate15th century

Not on view
Steel mail shirt with short sleeves and high collar displayed on a black mannequin, with a band of rectangular plates bearing Arabic script across the chest
Steel armor element composed of eight rectangular plates arranged in two columns, each plate inlaid with large silver Arabic calligraphy in thuluth script, bordered by finer inscribed bands, and joined at the center by small metal clasps, surrounded by chainmail links.
Steel mail-and-plate armor vest combining interlocking chainmail with vertical rows of rectangular iron plates, each plate engraved with Arabic or Persian script, with traces of gilt highlighting the inscriptions.
Title
Shirt of Mail and Plate
Place Made
Iran
Date Made
15th century
Medium
Steel with silver inlay and traces of gilding
Dimensions
39 × 24 in. (99.06 × 60.96 cm)
Credit Line
The Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection, gift of Joan Palevsky
Accession Number
M.73.5.729.1
Classification
Arms and Armor
Collecting Area
Art of the Middle East: Islamic
Curatorial Notes

This shirt, constructed of small interlocking rings known as mail, was reinforced with rigid plates to cover the vital areas of the body. Related elements of armor likely made in northwestern Iran in the late fifteenth century include a helmet (M.73.5.323, http://collections.lacma.org/node/239643) and two leg guards (M.73.5.729.7, http://collections.lacma.org/node/1767515 and M.73.5.729.8, http://collections.lacma.org/node/1767519). It is not possible to know if the elements were ever used together.

Selected Bibliography
  • 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.