Surviving examples of Sasanian armor are extremely rare, particularly in such stunning condition as this helmet. It consists of a bronze band forming a rim and supporting two arched bands that cross over the top. Between these arched bands there are triangular plates of iron that are overlaid with sheets of silver worked in scale patterns. While the underlying iron is badly corroded, the bronze and silver are amazingly well preserved. Sasanian silversmiths were renowned for their craftsmanship, which can be seen in large silver plates embossed in low relief with royal hunts (for example, a plate in the Met, accession number 1994.402). The Sasanian heavy cavalry was famous for its prowess in battle. These attributes, of artistic and military achievement, are uniquely combined in this remarkable helmet.
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Artwork Details
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Title:Helmet
Date:5th century
Culture:Mesopotamian or Iranian
Medium:Bronze, silver, iron
Dimensions:H. 9 1/4 in. (23.5 cm); W. 7 7/8 in. (20 cm); D. 8 5/8 in. (21.9 cm); Wt. 3 lb. 8.5 oz. (1602 g)
Classification:Helmets
Credit Line:Rogers Fund, 1962
Object Number:62.82
Said to be from Amlash, Iran;[Mrs. Khalil Rabenou, New York, until 1962; sold to MMA].
New York. Asia House Gallery. "The Royal Hunter: Art of the Sasanian Empire," January 12–March 12, 1978, no. 31.
Dallas, TX. Dallas Museum of Fine Arts. "The Royal Hunter: Art of the Sasanian Empire," April 12–May 21, 1978, no. 31.
Cleveland, OH. The Cleveland Museum of Art. "The Royal Hunter: Art of the Sasanian Empire," July 4–August 13, 1978, no. 31.
Campbell Thompson Esq., R, and R. W. Hamilton. "The British Museum Excavations on the Temple of Ishtar at Nineveh, 1930–31." Annals of Archaeology and Anthropology 19 p. 78, pl. LI, 3 (a similar helmet in the British Museum).
Werner, Joachim. "Zur Herkunft der frühmittelaltliche Spangenhelm." Praehistorische Zeitschrif 34–35 pp. 178–93, pl. 4 (similar helmets).
Grancsay, Stephen V. "A Sasanian Chieftain's Helmet." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin (April 1963), pp. 253–62, ill.
Nickel, Helmut. Warriors and Worthies: Arms and Armor Through the Ages. New York: Atheneum, 1969. p.34, ill.
Nickel, Helmut. Ullstein-Waffenbuch: eine kulturhistorische Waffenkunde mit Markenverzeichnis. Berlin: Ullstein, 1974. p. 61, ill.
Harper, Prudence Oliver. The Royal Hunter: Art of the Sasanian Empire. New York: Asia Society, 1978. pp. 89–90, no. 31, ill.
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. pp. 505–18, fig. 114.4.
James, Simon. "Evidence from Dura Europos for the Origins of Late Roman Helmets." Syria 63, no. 1/2 p. 117, n. 28.
Overlaet, Bruno. "Regalia of the Ruling Classes in Late Sasanian Times: The Riggisberg Strap Mountings, Swords and Archer’s Fingercaps." Entlang der Seidenstrasse: Fruehmittelalterliche Kunst zwischen Persien und China in der Abegg-Stiftung (1998), pp. 286–87, n. 58 (similar helmet illustrated in fig. 162).
Vogt, Mahand. "Spangenhelme: Baldenheim Und Verwandte Typen." PhD diss., PhD diss., Verlag des Römisch-Germanischen Zentralmuseums, 2006. p. 287, no. 55, pls. 48–49.
Ahmad, Shah Nadeem. "A New Sasanian Helmet in the Musee d’Art Classique de Mougins." Historia i Świat (2015), pp. 138–41, fig. 6.
Inscribed by Saotome Ienari (Japanese, Gunma Prefecture, active late 17th–early 18th century)
probably late 17th–early 18th century
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