The helmet is decorated with Koranic inscriptions, including (Koran 61:13), "Help from Allah and a speedy victory." In the nineteenth century, it belonged to Albert Goupil, brother-in-law of the painter Jean-Leon Gérôme (1824–1904). It appears in Gérôme's 1869 painting Un Marchand d'armes au Caire.
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Shot 1 (front)
Shot 2 (proper right)
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Shot 9 (proper left front)
Shot 10 (proper left front)
Shot 11 (nasal)
Shot 12 (back detail)
Shot 13 (front detail)
Shot 14 (front detail)
Detail
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Artwork Details
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Title:Helmet
Date:17th century and later
Geography:probably Golconda, Andhra Pradesh
Culture:Indian, Deccan, possibly Golconda
Medium:Steel, iron, gold
Dimensions:H. including mail 24 1/8 in. (61.3 cm); H. including nasal 13 1/4 in. (33.7 cm); H. excluding mail and nasal 9 5/8 in. (24.3 cm); W. 9 in. (22.9 cm); D. 11 1/4 in. (28.6 cm); Wt. 3 lb. 11 oz. (1665 g)
Classification:Helmets
Credit Line:Bequest of George C. Stone, 1935
Object Number:36.25.127
Albert Goupil, Paris (until d. 1884; Catalogue des Objets d'Art de l'Orient et de l'Occident, Tableaux, Dessins composant la Collection de feu M. Albert Goupil Sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, April 23–28, 1888, no. 231); [Bachereau, either Victor Reverchon or his nephew Louis Reverchon, Paris, before 1934; sold to Stone]; George Cameron Stone, New York (by 1934–d. November 18, 1935; his bequest to MMA).
Katonah, N.Y. The Katonah Gallery. "Islamic Insights: An Introduction to Islamic Art," March 15–May 2, 1980.
Doha. Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art. "Seeing Is Believing: The Art and Influence of Gérôme," November 3, 2024–February 22, 2025.
Hôtel Drouot, Eugène Escribe, and Paul Chevallier. Catalogue des Objets d'Art de l'Orient et de l'Occident, Tableaux, Dessins Composant la Collection de Feu M. Albert Goupil. Paris: Imprimerie de l'art, April 23–27, 1888. no. 231 (this helmet, called Persian).
Stone, George Cameron. A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armor in All Countries and in All Times, Together with Some Closely Related Subjects. Portland, ME: Southworth Press, 1934. p. 38, fig. 51, nos. 2, 3.
Stone, George Cameron. A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armor in All Countries and in All Times, Together with Some Closely Related Subjects. New York: Jack Brussel, Pub., 1961. p. 38, fig. 51, nos. 2, 3.
Stone, George Cameron, and Donald J. La Rocca. A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armor in All Countries and in All Times, Together with Some Closely Related Subjects. Mineola, N.Y.: Dover Publications, 1999. p. 38, fig. 51, nos. 2, 3.
Katonah Museum of Art. Islamic Insights: An Introduction to Islamic Arts. Katonah, NY: Katonah Museum of Art, 1980. no. 24.
Grancsay, Stephen V., and Stuart W. Pyhrr. Arms & Armor: Essays by Stephen V. Grancsay from the Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin 1920–1964. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1986. p. 171; fig. 63.10.
Ricketts, Howard, and Philippe Missillier. Splendeur Des Armes Orientales. Paris: ACTE-EXPO, 1988. no. 121.
Alexander, David, Stuart W. Pyhrr, and Will Kwiatkowski. Islamic Arms and Armor in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2015. pp. 108–10, no. 39, fig. 25, ill.
Reddy, Ravinder. Arms & Armour of India, Nepal & Sri Lanka: Types, Decoration and Symbolism. London: Hali Publications Limited, 2018. pp. 160, 291, ill.
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