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Shaffron (Horse's Head Defense)

late 15th–early 17th century
Not on view
Tibetan shaffrons are relatively rare, the majority of surviving examples were acquired by museums in the early twentieth century. This shaffron is by far the most elaborately decorated of any known example. The quality and execution of its lavish gold and silver damascening rank among the best examples of Tibetan decorated ironwork of this kind, suggesting that it was made for a very high ranking general, if not a king. A carbon-14 test of one of its leather laces resulted in a date range of 1450–1650, coinciding almost exactly with the period of the last two secular Tibetan monarchies: the Rinpung (1435–1565) and the Kings of Tsang (1566–1641).

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Shaffron (Horse's Head Defense)
  • Date: late 15th–early 17th century
  • Culture: Tibetan or Mongolian
  • Medium: Iron, leather, gold, silver, brass or copper alloy, textile
  • Dimensions: H. 22 1/2 in. (57.2 cm); W. 24 7/8 in. (63.2 cm); Wt. 8 lb. 6.7 oz. (3818.7 g)
  • Classification: Equestrian Equipment-Shaffrons
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Gift, 2004
  • Object Number: 2004.402
  • Curatorial Department: Arms and Armor

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Armored Cavalryman, Steel, iron, gold, silver, copper alloy, brass, wood, leather, textile, bone, horn, silk, hair, turquoise, lead, Tibetan, and possibly Bhutanese and Nepalese
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