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Turban Helmet

A work made of steel and silver.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of steel and silver.

Date:

c. 1475–1500

Artist:

Eastern Turkey or Western Iran

About this artwork

Turban helmets such as this one, dating from the late 15th century, were used throughout modern Eastern Turkey and Iran by the Aq Qoyunlu tribal federation (known as the White Sheep Turkomans). Its bulbous shape and fluted (ribbed) body are intended to mimic the shape and folds of the textile turban that would have been worn beneath the helmet. Together, with the associated mail face- and neck-guard (aventail) and a now-missing nasal bar, it was the principal head defense for a horseman.

The wide bands along the base and top of the helmet are artfully worked with silver in a technique called damascening. This involved hammering or burnishing (smoothing) soft silver wire in a pattern over a roughened hard steel ground. This laborious process adheres the silver to the steel, resulting in a decorated hand-plated surface, which is executed here with Arabic inscriptions in Kufic script. Often these bands profess glory to certain rulers or luck to the wearer. The text on this helmet remains to be deciphered; the craftsperson creatively interwove the calligraphic script with interlacing foliage and florid embellishments, prioritizing beauty over legibility.

A roughly incised circle with a Y-shaped figure inside it can be seen above the brow of the left eye opening. This mark is derived from a tamga, a Turkic tribal symbol or brand, which indicates the helmet was once kept in one of the many arsenals of the Ottoman empire, where it was preserved for centuries.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Applied Arts of Europe

Culture

Islamic

Title

Turban Helmet

Place

Western Iran (Object made in:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 1465–1510

Medium

Steel and silver

Dimensions

H.: 55.9 cm (22 in.)

Credit Line

George F. Harding Collection

Reference Number

1982.2237

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

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https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/106372/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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