Conical Helmet

1350-1450

This exceptional helmet from Eastern Asia is dating from the late Yuan dynasty (1279–1368) to the very early stage of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), a period from which surviving armors are very rare. This piece of medieval suit of armor is made up of four segments of iron decorated with repeating motifs in seven bands of damascened silver. The lower band is composed of a swastika band beneath the brim. The small holes along the rim were used for the attachment of nowadays missing nape and cheek defenses. Very few similar helmets are kept in museum collections and this one, recognizable with its damascened in silver, is reflecting the Ottoman turban helmet (LAD 2015.016) recently acquired by the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Since the collection did not own any piece of weaponry from this region and representing this key period in art history, this piece fills a gap into the display of arms and armours of the Louvre Abu Dhabi in the Gallery 15