Ceremonial Armors for Man (Dingjia) and Horse
The man’s armor, known as dingjia (armor with nails), is a very elaborate example of the military costume worn at the imperial court by high-ranking officials in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It consists of a jacket with sleeves and an ankle-length skirt constructed of narrow overlapping plates riveted inside the fabric layers with the securing rivet heads visible on the outside. Some of these plates, of brightly polished steel, are exposed on the arms and skirt. Although not intended for use in battle, the jacket is reinforced further with large shoulder pieces, panels under the arms, and a small panel of similar construction that covers the lower abdomen. This fashion thus combines the warrior’s practical but usually plain armor and the ceremonial robes often worn over it.
This example is embroidered with gold and colored silk thread, in traditional designs of dragons and waves. The delicately engraved and gilt steel plates at the shoulders repeat these motifs. The helmet is surmounted by a crest of sable tails, coral, and kingfisher feathers mounted with cloisonné enamels. The horse armor has no internal plates but only the rivet heads to give the outward appearance of armor.
This example is embroidered with gold and colored silk thread, in traditional designs of dragons and waves. The delicately engraved and gilt steel plates at the shoulders repeat these motifs. The helmet is surmounted by a crest of sable tails, coral, and kingfisher feathers mounted with cloisonné enamels. The horse armor has no internal plates but only the rivet heads to give the outward appearance of armor.
Artwork Details
- Title: Ceremonial Armors for Man (Dingjia) and Horse
- Date: 18th century
- Culture: Chinese
- Medium: Steel, gold, silver, velvet, satin, iron, coral, malachite, turquoise, crystal, silk, cotton, brass, pearls, marten, feathers (kingfisher), paper, lacquer
- Dimensions: Helmet (a); H. including nape defense 19 in. (48.3 cm); H. excluding nape defense 11 1/2 in. (29.2 cm); W. 8 3/16 in. (20.8 cm); D. 9 3/4 in. (24.8 cm); Wt. 3 lbs. 11.8 oz. (1695.3 g); helmet lining (b); Wt. 2.8 oz. (79.4 g)
- Classification: Armor for Horse and Man
- Credit Line: Bequest of George C. Stone, 1935
- Object Number: 36.25.2a–qq
- Curatorial Department: Arms and Armor
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Tibetan, and possibly Bhutanese and Nepalese
18th–19th century
probably Tibetan
18th–19th century
Chinese
18th century
Chinese
17th–18th century
Tibetan or Mongolian
possibly 12th–14th century
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.