The Dresden armouries of the Prince-Electors of Saxony. Most probably included in the transfer to the Königliche Historisches Museum Dresden in 1831/2. Subsequently included in one of the series of officially directed dispersals from the collection which took place from the mid-19 th century and thereafter (see for example the morion sold at Rudolph Lepke Kunst-Auctions-Haus, Berlin, Porzellane und Waffen aus den Kgl. Sächsischen Sammlungen in Dresden, 7-8 oktober 1919, lot 639)
A number of former electoral guard morions were also supplied to the Dresden Opera House and ultimately dispersed through dealers from there. Two Nuremberg examples from the same series, near-identical to this one, are preserved in the Rüstkammer, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (Inv.-Nr. N 111, N 113a)
Dr. Justin G. Stein collection, USA Private collection, USA
Comb morions of this series were worn by both the mounted and foot contingents of the elite guard of the Saxon electors. Contemporary paintings and prints show the guard resplendent in gold and black uniforms and equipped with etched and gilt comb morions to match. Many of these helmets were subsequently polished bright. The sole known dated example is dated 1568 (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1989. 288), for a member of the guard of the Elector August I (r.1553-86). These morions continued to be used, and perhaps added to within the successive reigns of the Electors Christian I (r.1586-91) and Christian II (following the regency years, r. 1601-11).
A Rare Italian Half-Armour
c. 1580 – 1600
Northern Italy, Brescia or Milan. Steel, gold, leather, textile
The helmet from a different armour
Provenance Private collection, USA
The half-length configuration of this armour was best suited to foot combat in late 16th century warfare. The new widespread use of military firearms now made agility in the field a defensive requirement, rendering cumbersome leg defences redundant. Italian decorated armours such as this one are frequently identified with the elite small bodies of troops which formed the bodyguard of politically significant noblemen and senior clergy.
The open-faced helmet, properly described in this instance a ‘morione aguzzo’ or pointed morion, was the preferred head defence for field combat by the close of the 16th century. The present example is notably elegant, and richly ornamented with etched and gilt linear bands of warrior figures and trophiesof-war against a ground of scrollwork and mythical grotesques.
The body of the armour is decorated in the more open incised designs which emerged in north Italian armour after about 1560, in parallel with armour decorated with the more often observed bands of etching. Armour decorated with incised flowing symmetrical patterns of foliage and plain broad gilt bands, such as we see here, was also the style worn by the Vatican Papal Guard in the latter decades of the 16th century.
An Important Renaissance Hand-and-a-Half Sword
c. 1490 – 1500
Italy. Steel, copper-alloy, silver, gold, ebony and bone
Grip a restoration
114.3 cm / 45 in; blade length: 89.5 cm / 35¼ in
Provenance
G. P. Jenkinson Collection
Private collection, Germany
Private collection, USA
‘As in all other fields of applied art,’ observed the late Dr John Hayward when writing of it some years ago, ‘the high point of hilt design, either as ceremonial or fighting weapon, was reached during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century.’ ‘The excellence of the weapons of this period’, he went on to note, ‘is reflected in their superb proportions and exquisite decoration.’ He felt this sword ‘worthy of the greatness’ of any of the Renaissance princes.Few could deny that this sword, with is elegant lines and rich ornament arranged in counter-changed panels of contrasting gold, silver and gilt copper-alloy, satisfies this criteria of proportion and decoration.
The gilt hilt of the sword comprises a flattened pearshaped pommel, and long horizontally re-curved flat quillons. Each part is cast and finely chased with running vine leaves, scrolling acanthus foliage, fleursde-lis and plaited ornament, and is inlaid at points with similarly decorated gold and silver panels and, in silver, a female bust whose breasts are bitten by serpents. Beneath is a gaping Medusa’s head from which further serpents rise. The later grip is decorated with a chequer pattern of freshwater mother-of-pearl and ebony panels. The double-edged blade, each side with a pronounced medial ridge, tapers to a point; inlaid in copper is a Lombardic M beneath a cross and the blade is etched at the forte with a pattern of imbricated scales.
Literature
Dr J.F. Hayward, An Italian Renaissance Sword, in Arms and Armour at the Dorchester Ltd, London, 1982, p. 15-17
Dott. Mario Scalini, Reconsidering some Cerimonial Italian Swords of the Renaissance, Hieb- Und Stichfest: Waffenkunde und Living History, Imhof Verlag, Coburg, 2020, p. 75, illustrated p. 74
The quillons of the sword, like its pommel, are divided into panels of various metals: seven on one face and five on the other. The plaques are either chiselled in relief or engraved intaglio with conventional floral ornament. Each side of the cross is chiselled with the same plaited design as the edge of the pommel, while the tongue or langet, which was intended to cover the mouth of the scabbard, is chiselled with acanthus foliage issuing from a scallop shell and fleur-de-lis at its base. The purpose of this socket was practical: to prevent water from seeping into the scabbard and so rusting the blade, should the sword be exposed to rain or humidity.
Although its superlative quality suggests that the sword was intended primarily for ceremonial use, its design nevertheless accords in all essential respects with that of a practical fighting weapon. Its long handand-a-half grip enable it to be wielded with either one or two hands as needed in combat, and its long, acutely pointed blade, would have been suited to both cutting and thrusting. The pronounced medial ridge that runs down each side of the blade serves to stiffen it, and would have made the sword better able to penetrate any gaps in the full plate armour favoured in Renaissance Italy.
Contemporary representations such the illuminations of Tallhofer’s Fechtbuch of 1459 (Schloss Ambras), and the painting The Coronation of the Virgin (1474, Museo Civico, Pesaro), by Giovanni Bellini, show that blades of this medially ridged pattern were fit to the hand-and-a-half sword type, and interestingly both images represent swords with hilts similar to the present example.
Surviving early Renaissance swords of a quality comparable to the present are few in number and invariably associated with persons of great wealth and rank of the period. Among the most celebrated of these is a sword in the Rüstkammer, Staatliche Kunstsammlung Dresden (no. hm.a36), identified in early inventories of the Saxon Electoral Armoury as that of Graf Leonhard von Görz (1440–1500). Though its pommel is of plummet-shaped rather than pear-shaped form, the two swords show a strong resemblance. The Rüstkammer blade is inscribed JESUS MARIA and IN ETERNVM, which has led to the idea that it was given to von Görz at the time of his marriage to the Mantuan princess, Paola Gonzaga, daughter of Luigi III Gonzaga in 1478.
A splendid sword today in the Hofjagd- und Rüstkammer, Vienna (no. a.170) made for Maximilian I, King of Rome and later Holy Roman Emperor (1459–1519) provides another comparison. Though it has a key-shaped pommel and straight rather than re-
curved quillons, it also bears a striking resemblance to the present sword. Its hilt, also of gilt copper-alloy, bears the inscription IN DIO AMOR which together with the representations of Amor and putti in the decoration of its blade has led to the suggestion that the sword was given to Maximilian at the time of his marriage to Bianca Maria, daughter of Duke Galeazzo Maria Sforza of Milan in 1493/4. This would also suggest the sword was created in Milan, then the greatest of all European arms-producing centres. Affording support for that view is the fact that a sword in the Museo Civico L. Marzoli, Brescia, again bearing similarities, was stated to be struck on its tang with the Sforza mark of a viper. Equally worth examination is the decoration of the so called ‘Martelli Mirror’ in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (no. 8717–1867), which like the present sword involves gilt copper-alloy inlaid with silver and gold, and is thought to have been produced by the Milanese artist Caradosso Foppa (1452–1527) around 1495–1500.
Through a combination of skill and inventiveness, goldsmiths of Renaissance Italy brought to the decoration of arms a richness and vigour clearly in accord with the spirit of the age. More than in any other period, the nobleman of the Renaissance, with his passion for pageantry and display, looked to contemporary craftsmen to provide him with arms that could compete with or even exceed in splendour those of political rivals.
Hayward, in his assessment, observed that despite affinities with the sword in Dresden, the present sword excelled it in richness. Hayward believed the present sword to be the equal of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I’s wedding sword, and it thus remains tantalising, given the present sword’s opulence, to speculate upon the identity of its powerful original owner. The sword’s elegant ornament and harmonious proportions make it a true masterpiece of the Renaissance: bella e graziosa – beautiful and gracious.
The Cover Binding-Plates from a Book made for the Personal Court Library of the Saxon Elector
Johann Georg I (r. 1611-56)
c. 1635 – 56
Germany, Dresden or Leipzig. brass, gold.
56 cm × 41.5 cm
22 in × 16.3 in Provenance
The Saxon Electoral Library, Dresden. Most probably included among the many state-sanctioned dispersal sales from the Saxon Electoral collections which began in the 19 th century and continued following the dissolution of the Saxon monarchy in 1919 Private collection, USA
Comprising a large principal plate together with much smaller subsidiary plate forming the base of the design. Intended to face the entire surface of a book cover, this Baroque pattern of pierced and engraved interlaced scrolling tendrils and flowers is reminiscent of the original designs of vine interlace produced by Caspar Meuser (1550-1593), Court Bookbinder to the Electors of Saxony. A fine comparative tooled and gilt example of his work produced in 1578 is in the British Library (Shelf mark C108D29).The present pattern also recalls quite closely the iron scabbard facing plate of the hunting trousse made for the Elector Johann Georg in 1619, by the Dresden goldsmith Michael Botza (d. 1633): Historisches Museum, Dresden (M262).
The period to which the present plate is ascribed is determined by the inclusion of the respective arms of the Margraviates of both Upper and Lower Lusatia. The formed was acquired by the Saxon Electorate in 1635, through the terms of the Peace of Prague, ending Saxon participation in the Thirty Years’ War.
Lower Lusatia was re-acquired by the electorate in the same year.
The present plate carries the arms and their crests of nine Saxon Electoral territories, in addition to the crested arms of the Duchy of Saxony and those of the hereditary Archmarshalship of the Holy Roman Empire. Each of the arms is labelled by the letters which provide a German abbreviation of the title. Clockwise on the plate the arms are those of: 1. The Duchy of Jülich combined with the County of Marck, 2. The Margraviate of Meissen, 3. The Duchy of Berg, 4. The Palatinate of Thuringia, 5. The Margraviate of Lower Lusatia, 6. The Margraviate of Upper Lusatia, 7. The Palatinate of Saxony, 8. The Duchy of Kleve, 9. The Landgraviate of Thuringia, 10 The Duchy of Saxony. The arms of The Archmarshalship of the Empire are placed at the centre.
The arms are those of the Saxon Electorate, those of the Archmarshallship of the HRE and those of the provinces of the Saxon Electorate.
A
Rare Sallet
c. 1490
Probably Flemish Steel and gold
48.25 cm / 10 in × 31.75 cm / 12.5 in
Provenance
Private collection, United Kingdom
From the 1430s onwards, the sallet, distinguishable from other kinds of medieval helmets because of its ‘tail’ at the wearer’s nape, became the favourite head-defence in north-west Europe, and remained popular there into the early sixteenth century. Though a version with a pointed skull, called by some the ‘Burgundian’ type, was widely use in England, many sallets worn there were imported from the internationally renowned armourers of north Italy who made them almost exclusively for export. Earlier sallets were intended for wear with a face-defence called a bevor, but by the last decade of the fifteenth century a variant with a deeper visor, protecting the face and chin, had become popular.
Helmets and plate armour used in England during the late Middle Ages survived in churches: knight’s tombs often featured heraldic funerary achievements in which their armour featured. Preserved among such ‘achievements’ are a rare group of sallets, of which the present example is one. The condition of the helmet along with its gold-painted borders and evidence of its former possession of an apical spike for the attachment of a crest, show it to have been preserved in a church, subsequent to its working life. Despite the decades of research that have been devoted to the subject of armour from English churches, no archival evidence relating to the original provenance of the present sallet is recorded, though it contributes a valuable piece to the overall jigsaw of the armour worn in medieval England.
A sallet in The Wallace Collection, London (no. A.72) is fitted with an articulated tail like the present, and several helmets and detached visors of this type were preserved in the armoury of the Knights of St John at Rhodes, of which one complete example still survives in the Palace Armoury, Valetta, and three detached visors are now in the Royal Armouries (IV.438–40).
Possibly included in the removal of arms and armour from the armoury of The Order of the Knights of St. John, Valetta, Malta, during the French occupation of 17981800, or under British governance within the first half of the 19 th century
Private collection, France
This breastplate was certainly made for wear by an officer of an elite body of troops, possibly those of The Order of the Knights of St. John, or the armed retinue of a high-ranking nobleman. The elegant elongated construction typifies the long-waisted form that was fashionable during the mid-16th century period of armour production in Milan, Brescia and Mantua. Save the gilded relief decoration, the outer surface of this breastplate is entirely blued steel. Decorative embossed scrollwork sweeps downward in a symmetrical pattern from the upper corners to below the neck, and in the Italian style of the period this is balanced by its repetition over the waist plate. The linear scrolls of the embossed ornament are conspicuous in their broad plain surfaces and bold graceful curves, in these respects the embossed work is comparable, for example, with the ornament embossed over the sides of an Italian burgonet skull of the same period, in the Stibbert Museum, Florence. The stylised fleurde-lys motif incorporated in the embossed design likely references the noble whom the troops served.
Placed on the present breastplate as if suspended from the embossed scrolls is an heraldic Cross Moline, serving both to identify the allegiance of the wearer and to act as a Christian talisman. Similarly medieval in their origin were the crosses worn by the early Knights Templar and by the Knights Hospitaller,
or The Order of the Knights Hospitaller of St. John of Jerusalem. The Cross Moline is the design from which the better-known Maltese Cross developed and which was subsequently adopted as the badge of the Order of the Knights of St. John.
Within the immediate decades following their move to Malta in 1530, related tomb effigies, frescoes and portraiture of the period reveal that the Knights of St. John were initially identified by their medieval Cross in Ordinary until circa 1550, when the Moline type was introduced, and later observed on the breastplates, red fabric tabards, shields and ceremonial cloaks of the knights.
Two late 16th century examples of munition breastplates bearing the Cross Moline (each considerably less elaborate than this present example), are preserved in the Royal Armouries Collections, Leeds (III.905, III.1327). A further two examples, of the same period, ascribed to possible Brescian origin and each embossed with a pendant Maltese Cross are in the Odescalchi Collection in the Museo Nazionale del Palazzo di Venezia, Rome (inv. 1105 and 1113). Notable also in this discussion is a portrait in the Palace of Hampton Court, London, by Tintoretto (1518-94): the subject is a Knight of St. John and suspended from his neck is a Cross Moline, while the cross on his cloak is a Maltese Cross.
An Elbow Gauntlet for the Left Arm, combined with a Fencing Buckler and Folding Parrying Blade
first quarter of the 17th century
Northern Italy
Steel, copper alloy and gold. Later blade.
53.5 cm / 21 in on mount without blade extended
Provenance
The Viscount Boyne, Brancepeth Castle, Durham, Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge, London, 23rd November 1922, lot 226, sold £52., to Fenton.
Galerie Fischer, Luzern, 27. November 1961, lot 142
Literature
Keysers Kunst und Antiquitätenbuch, Band.2 (1959), fig.305
An arm defence of this distinctive type formed a part of the specialist armour referred to as a Stechzeug, worn by members of the nobility of the Holy Roman Empire participating in the Deutsche Gestech, the ‘German Joust of Peace’. The present 16th century example, very likely from the Nuremberg workshop of Valentin Siebenbürger, is the defence for the right arm, under which the cradled lance was couched.
A Decorated Viking Sword
11th century
Scandinavia. Iron, copper
79.5 cm / 31 in (overall length)
Provenance
Private collection, Germany
Private collection, USA
Private collection, United Kingdom
This sword is one of a fine and highly rare group characterised by its possession of a hilt with a solid iron grip, a short arched lower guard and overall decoration and a blade inlaid in each of its fullers with cabalistic inscriptions accompanied by flying birds of a distinctive form. It was probably made in the then powerful principality of Kievan Rus, extending over present-day Ukraine, as well as parts of Russia, Belarus, Poland and Bulgaria around the first half of the 11th Century.
Each of its faces is formed with a broad, shallow medial fuller that extends for a little over half of its length. The fuller of one face was formerly inlaid in iron at the forte with a saltire between two pairs of vertical lines, now represented only by the incisions intended to receive the iron. Both fullers are inlaid in copper-alloy wire with inscriptions involving, on the face bearing the former iron inlay, the letters O S ? S? O, where the O is of an elaborate form, and, on the other, fewer but apparently similar letters between flying birds.
An Anglo-Saxon Shield Boss and Matching Fittings
Mid-7th century
Britain. Iron, silver, copper alloy and gold foil
Conservation to the iron boss
Diameter of the boss: 15.3 cm / 6 in Mounts: 20.2 cm / 7.9 in × 5cm / 2 in
Provenance
Private collection, United Kingdom
Anglo-Saxon shield mounts are extremely rare.
The shields themselves - a circular piece of wood - were constructed from planks glued together; it was common for shields to be covered in leather, which held these planks together and they were often decorated with fittings of bronze or iron.
Anglo-Saxon shield bosses fall into two main categories based on the method of manufacturing: the carinated boss, including the present example, was the most common type. Its designs originated in continental Europe and those found in England date to at least the fifth to mid-seventh century.
The use of gold and silver, and the cross pattée symbol, which was an early knightly symbol, suggests this shield boss and fittings belonged to a warrior of high status and wealth.
An Ottoman Dagger, or Hançer
late 17th century
Turkey. Steel, wood, leather, silver, niello
29 cm / 11.5 in × 4.5 cm / 1.75 in Provenance
Private collection, United Kingdom
This dagger relates to a group captured after the unsuccessful Turkish siege of Vienna in 1683, this example has a slightly curved, double edged plain blade. The hilt is of a waisted form, made from a single piece of faceted wood. The scabbard is of wood covered with black leather, with chape and locket of silver decorated with simple foliate scrollwork in niello, with a small suspension loop at the front.
An Ottoman Dagger, or Hançer
late 17th century
Ottoman Turkey
Steel, wood, leather, silver, niello, gold and hardstones
29 × 4.5 × 2.5 cm
Provenance
Private collection, United Kingdom
This dagger relates to a group captured after the unsuccessful Turkish siege of Vienna in 1683, this example has a slightly curved, double edged plain blade. The hilt is of a waisted form, made from a single piece of faceted wood. The scabbard is of wood covered with black leather, with chape and locket of silver decorated with simple foliate scrollwork in niello, with a small suspension loop at the front.
The present dagger compares with the two plain daggers of this form in the Badisches Landesmuseum, Karlsruhe, nos D 273–4.
Straight sword and scabbard
(kattara or saī f )
17th century
Oman. Steel, silver, gold, brass, wood, leather 101 cm
Provenance
Private collection, France
The medieval Islamic sword had a straight, double edged blade and a hilt with a vestigial guard and a socket covering the throat of the scabbard. Such swords are represented now by a very few archaeological remains, such as those from provenances as far apart as Afghanistan and Syria in the collection of the Furusiyya Art Foundation, Vaduz (Mohamed 2008, 108-9, nos 73–6, and the magnificent gold and niello hilt in the St Louis Art Museum no. 45:1924. This form of sword and hilt was preserved in Oman long after it had been replaced elsewhere in the Islamic world by curved bladed swords. Robert Elgood argues for their manufacture in Oman or within the growing Omani empire in the seventeenth century, pointing out that many of them have blades associated with Spanish, Italian and German manufacture in the early seventeenth century (Elgood 1994, 18).
The much more common guardless form of kattara is often referred to as a Zanzibar sword from its close association with the Omani Sultanate from 1698 onwards. The characteristic hilt is made of iron overlaid with silver, the core in three parts, the upper grip and conical pommel, the lower grip and guard, and the socket covering the scabbard throat. The present sword is close to one in the Furusiyya Foundation, no. R-257 (Mohamed 2008, 79, no. 43). The blade of the present example is German, stamped with the ‘running wolf’ mark of Solingen, and is of the highly flexible form of broadsword blade prized in the Arabian world. The hilt retains its silver covering and gilded tang rivet heads, and is highly unusual in incorporating an inscription in Arabic in the decoration of the socket, in the style favoured in the medieval period (compare the early examples cited above). In this it is comparable to the only Omani sword signed by is maker, ‘Abdallah bin Ghabish, in the Museum of Islamic Art Doha, no. MW624.2012 (Sotheby’s 2010, lot 247).
The scabbard was originally of wood covered with tooled black leather. The locket, of gilded copper decorated with repoussé foliated scrolls and the silvered iron chape, with its regimented bands of foliate scrolls reminiscent of nineteenth century Europe gunsmiths’ work, are later additions, as are the additions of leather reinforcements around the edges and suspension loops.
A Superb
Pair of Saddle, or Gser sga, mounts
16th – 17th century
Eastern Tibetan, or Chinese for the Tibetan market
Iron, silver, gilding
38 cm / 15 in × 28 cm / 11 in
Provenance
Private collection, Copenhagen
The saddles of the eastern steppe and the Tibetan plateau from the fourth century onwards are renowned for their exquisite metal fittings. These saddle fittings belong to the rarer group with a narrow, square-topped pommel and a low, reclining cantle, comparable to two saddles in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (nos 1997.214, 1998.316) and another in the Rubin Museum, New York. Both mounts are fretted with sinuous, four-clawed dragons within a spiral foliate ground at either side of a vajra, or thunderbolt, surrounded by a halo of flames, all mercury gilded over silver. The borders are plain and silvered.
Like the saddle in the Royal Armouries, Leeds (no. xxvih.30), the fretted decoration has additional relief, the dragons carved separately and inserted within the foliate fretwork. The pommel retains six of the original nails by which it was secured to its wooden saddle tree.
Comparable saddles include those in the Musée d’Ethnographie de Neuchâtel, Switzerland (no. 68.4.79) and one in Drepung Loseling Monastery, India, which is said to have been used by the Fifth Dalai Lama in the seventeenth century (Mullin, 1996, 153). Several towns in the Derge kingdom of eastern Tibet such as Horpo (Hepo, 河坡) were famous for this type of decorative fretted and gilded iron work, especially saddles, while very similar techniques were practised just over the border in the Jinchuan region of western Sichuan in China.
A Tibetan Ceremonial staff finial
17th century
Tibet. Iron, silver, gilding. 28 cm / 11 in Provenance Private Collection Europe
The flaming sword is the weapon characteristic of the bodhisattva Manjusri, symbolising the transcendent wisdom that cuts down ignorance and duality. It is usually fitted with a basket hilt or a vajra at the pommel, but here is presented a staff finial, comparable with the trident finials offered in our previous catalogue, and intended to be mounted in the same way, with a sandalwood haft fitted with a vajra or stylised thunderbolt terminal. It is engraved with an inventory number, 35.
A Kalachakra Dance Mask
late 18 th – early 19 th Century
Tibet. Copper, gold.
33 cm / 12.9 in (overall length on mount)
Provenance
Private collection, Italy
Another rare dance mask of this form, worn by a lama performing a ritual dance during the Kalachakra initiation, was included in the exhibition Monasterios y Lamas del Tibet, Fundación ‘La Caixa’, Madrid, 2000, cat. no. 60. It was sold at Christie’s New York, 23rd September 2004. Another Kalachakra mask sold more recently at Christie’s New York, 19th March 2013, which was illustrated by Giles Béguin in Dieux et démons de l’Himâlaya, 1977, cat. no. 329. Another two examples may be seen in Robert Thurman and David Weldon, Sacred Symbols, The Ritual Art of Tibet, New York, 1999, cat. nos 40 and 41.
A Katar Dagger
late 18 th century
India. Steel, gold
47 cm / 18.5 in (overall length)
Provenance
Private collection, UK
The Blade is chiselled with the Hindu iconographic creatures Gajendra and Makara.
A Mughal Katar, Rajasthan
Early 18 th century 17
India, Rajasthan. Steel, iron and gold
44 cm / 17.2 in Provenance
Private collection, United Kingdom
With iron hilt, the bars at the sides decorated on each face with small designs of flowers and leaves suspended between slender ribs, chiselled in low relief and heightened with gold koftgari. The base formed as a bi-lobate arch carrying at its centre a lotus flower chiselled over the base of the blade, the grip constructed as a pair of baluster-shaped bars of acutely pronounced form and enclosing between them a pair of stylised damascened lions chiselled in the round. With watered steel blade formed with a narrow point of diamond section shaped for mail piercing, the rearward portion cut on both sides with a pair of recessed panels tapering towards the point and divided by a chiselled fern-like ridge. Preserved in fine, untouched condition throughout.
A Very Fine and Elegant Dagger, or Khanjar
hilt – Indian, Mughal, 17th – 18 th century blade – Indian, 19 th century
Indian, Mughal. Jade, gold, ruby and steel
42.5 cm / 16.75 in
Provenance
Frederick H. North Works of Art, June 1972
Private collection, United Kingdom
The code for fashionable dress of the nobility in northern India under the Mughals and their successor states included the wearing of highly decorated daggers which reflected the wearer’s social standing and prestige. Animal headed daggers became popular early in the 17th century and were reserved for nobles of the highest rank. A close study of Mughal miniature paintings reveals the restriction of these animal-headed daggers to a small number of princes and senior dignitaries (Welch 1985, 257–8). The most popular medium for the hilts of these daggers was jade, either nephrite or, later, jadeite, imported from Central Asia, reflecting the Timurid heritage of the Mughal court.
Compare a near identical hilt in the Royal Collection, RCIN11450, presented to King Edward VII as Prince of Wales during his tour to India in 1875–6 by Mahbub ‘Ali Khan, Nizam of Hyderabad via his minister SalarJung I in Bombay, and exhibited in Splendours of the Subcontinent at the Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace in 2018.
A Rare Vambrace (dastana )
Late 17th or early 18 th century
India, Deccan
Iron, gold, textile
31.8 × 9.4 cm
Provenance
Corbin Collection, France
The armour of the Mughal sowar cavalry comprised a mail and plate coat, helmet, shield and pair of vambraces or dastana, Persian bazuband. The present dastana compares to the partially fluted example in the Royal Armouries, no. xxvia.272 and fully fluted no. xxvia.289 and the pair inscribed with the name of Na¯der Qolı¯ in the National Museums Scotland (Elwell-Sutton 1979, figs 17–18). Another partially fluted example in the Furusiyya Art Foundation (Mohamed 2008, 312, no. 300) is dated 1101 ah (1689/90), while further examples of this type are in the Metropolitan museum of Art, New York, from the Stone collection nos 36.25.387 and 419.
An Exceptional Japanese Dagger or Tanto¯
c. 1867
Signed Masashige
Late Edo¯ Period or Meiji Period, Japan.
Steel, silver, Gold, copper alloy, wood and lacquer
41 cm / 16.1 in (overall length)
Provenance
Private collection, United Kingdom
The blade of this tanto is hira-zukuri construction with iori-mune. Nagasa is 28.7 cm long. Kasane is 5 mm thick. The grain pattern is itame-hada with ji-nie. Hamon is a large gunome-midare with tobiyaki and muneyaki in nioi-deki accompanied by small nie. The hamon of the tip is jizo-boshi. Nakago is ubu, with a fish belly shape tanagobara. One peg hole mekugi-ana. The tang has a three-character signature, Masashige Saku (正重作). On the omote (the side which faces out when the blade is worn) is a later chiselled horimono depicting Marishiten, who is the patron deity of the Samurai warrior class; on the ura (the side which faces in) is a horimono with two parallel grooves known as gomabashi which represents the ritual chopsticks used in Buddhists ceremonies. The blade is fitted with copper habaki (collar) covered by gilded silver foil.
The aikuchi koshirae (mounting without a sword guard) comprising: a saya made to resemble a branch of wood in black lacquer, mounted with fittings deeply carved in the form of flowers and foliage with insects in silver, gold and shakudo (a copper alloy). Koiguchi, kozuka and wari-kogai are signed by Yoshimitsu Tsukuru (良光造).
Masashige is a prominent swordsmith of the Sengo school (also known as Senji 千子). The founder of the Sengo school, infamous Muramasa (村正), was the son of Kanemura (兼村) from Akasaka in the Mino domain. He later moved to Kuwana in the Ise domain, where the Sengo school flourished. The earliest known work by the first-generation Muramasa is dated Genki 1 (1501), indicating he lived in Higashikata, Kuwana City. The Muramasa family remained active until the 3rd generation during the Tenbun period (1532-1554). Muramasa’s swords were famously regarded as cursed, especially in their association with opposition to the Tokugawa clan, and were highly prized by warriors seeking to overthrow Tokugawa rule. Sanada Yukimura was one of the most famous prominent figures who wielded Muramasa’s blades.
Masashige is said to be a first-generation Muramasa student; in some accounts, he is also referred to as Muramasa’s son. His style resembles Muramasa’s, with some blades featuring tightly forged itame-hada (wood grain pattern), while others have a flowing grain. Many of his blades have a hamon (temper line) that is symmetrical on both sides, with a mixture of gunome (zigzag patterns) and notare (wavy patterns). There are also examples of box-shaped gunome midare (irregular zigzag patterns). Compared to Muramasa’s works, Masashige’s tanto (short swords) tend to be larger, and his hamon is often more flamboyant.
Masashige, along with another prominent Muramasa student, Masazane, is well-known for producing swords of exceptional quality. The Sengo school in the Ise domain, alongside the Shimada school in the Suruga domain and the Shitahara school in the Bushu domain, were pivotal in the production of swords along the Tokaido road, especially from the
mid-Muromachi period. These swordsmiths became most active during and after the Sengoku (Warring States) period when powerful clans such as the Oda, Toyotomi, Tokugawa, Imagawa, Takeda, and Hojo rose to dominance.
The 1st-generation Masashige was active during the Eisho period (1504-1520), while the 2nd-generation Masashige worked during the Tenbun era (15321554). Their blades resemble the Soshu works of master swordsmiths such as Hasabe (長谷部 ) or Shizu (志津), reflecting the top-tier craftsmanship of that era.
This remarkable tanto is probably made by the second-generation Masashige. Masashige’s style closely mirrors that of his master, exhibiting the same aggressive sharpness and artistic blade structure that made the Sengo school famous. Many warriors favoured their blades.
Although few swords are attributed to Masashige, many of his works are short swords or longer tanto (tanto or sun-nobi mono).
Masashige’s work, particularly in the second generation, is noted for its larger size and flamboyant hamon (temper lines) compared to Muramasa’s swords from the same period. His blades feature variations in hamon, with some displaying tightly packed itame-hada (wood grain pattern) and others showing a flowing grain structure, often accompanied by ji-nie (small crystalline particles). One distinguishing feature of Masashige’s swords is the tang (nakago), usually shaped like a “fish belly,” with a pronounced V-shaped heel. His signature is unique, with the character “Masa” (正) noticeably tilted upward, adding to the charm of his craftsmanship.
A Dagger, or Tanto¯
Edo¯ period, dated 1805
Signed Suishinsei Masahide with kao and koukuin seal, and dated Bunka ni nen hachi gatsu nichi (1805), 水心子正秀, 文化二年八月日
Japan. Steel, gold, silver, wood and lacquer
48.5 × 4 cm
Provenance
Private Collection, USA
The blade is of osoraku zukuri form, an unusual type with an extra large point or kissaki, placing the dividing line or yokote at the ecentre of the blade, originated by the sixteenth-century smith Shimada Sukemune 島田助宗, who carved the characters 恐らく on one of his blades of this form which was said to have belonged to the Sengoku general Katagiri Katsumoto (1556–1615). It is carved with the Buddhist bonji (Sanskrit character) kiriiku, for Amida Nyorai and Senju Kannon, and with a horimono of Juro¯jin, one of the Seven Gods of Good Fortune. It is signed Suishinsei Masahide with kao and koukuin seal, and dated Bunka ni nen hachi gatsu nichi (1805), 水心子正秀, 文化二年八月日.
Suishinshi Masahide is a highly important late Edo¯ smith, known as the founder of the Shinshinto era of sword production and of the school of his own name. He was born in 1750 in Akayuzai 赤湯在 (now Nanyo¯ city, Yamagata), son of a samurai. His name as a child was Sanjiro¯ 三治郎, but his father died young, and he and his mother moved to live with a relative Suzuki Gonjiro¯ 鈴木権次郎 and he was given the name Suzuki Saburo¯ Iehide 鈴木三 郎宅英. He studyied sword forging under Shitahara Yoshihide 下原吉英 from the age of 18, first signing blades as Iehide 宅秀 then as Hidekuni 英国. By 1774 he had become a sword maker for the Akimoto family of Yamagata and changed his signature to Kawabe Gihachiro¯ Masahide 川部儀八郎正秀, with an art name of Suishinshi 水心子, ‘lake spirit’. In 1781 he moved to Edo¯ to study the Bizen style under Ishido Korekazu and became an swordsmith for the
vassals of Tatebayashi in Hamamachi town in Bushu, Edo¯ (now Nihonbashi, Tokyo), and taught over one humdred pupils, including Taikei Naotane 大慶直胤 and Hosokawa Masayoshi 細川正義 who became renowned smiths in their own right. He officially retired in 1818, passing his name to his son Sadahide 貞秀, but continued to sign blades as Amahide 天秀, collaborating with his son. He died on 27 September 1825 at the age of 76. His early career, 1774–1789, is characterised by the So¯shu-den style where while he was inspired by the ancient works by Masamune 正 宗 and Shizu 志津. In mid-career he mostly worked in the do¯ran-midare ‘large-wave temper’ style of Tsuda Echizen-no-kami Sukehiro 津田越前守助広 or the wide wavy hamon of Inoue Shinkai 井上真改. Around this time he changed his approach completely and published his reasons for it in Toko Byoron. He observed that swords with a hade (wide and gaudy) style hamon tend to break, so decided to abandon the manufacture of artistic blades and return to the practical excellence of Kamakura period blades that cut well and were durable.
The hilt is covered in same and bound with black silk braid and has a matching set of fuchi kashira in silver carved with waves highlighted with gold dots. The kozuka is decorated to match, as are the kuchigane and kojiri for the scabbard, which is covered in plain black lacquer.
A Short sword (
wakizashi )
blade probably mid-14th century mountings mid-Edo¯ period, 18 th century
Japan
Steel, silver, gold, lacquer, copper alloy, silk and wood 55 cm / 21.5 in
Provenance
Private collection, Europe
The mounts of this short sword are signed by Kitagawa Souten, a renowned maker of sword fittings who moved from Kyoto to Hikone in Omi province around 1750, at the age of 72 (Sesko, 2012, 339–41).
The blade is from a cut-down nagamaki, hon zukuri, iori mune, with a large faceted point (o¯-kisaki). The hamon of nie has wide undulations (o¯-notare), becomeing more gentle on the kissaki. The tang has an additional peg hole at the rear edge. The habaki is of silver with engraved scratches. The mountings comprise a tsuka covered in same, bound in white silk braid, fitted with a kashira of copper signed So¯heishi Nyu¯do¯ So¯ten sei, 藻柄子入道宗典製, covered in shakudo carved with a battle scene of samurai fighting from boats with details in gold. The fuchi is plain black, the menuki of shakudo carved with mounted samurai with silvered and gold details. The tsuba is of blackened iron, in mokko shape with athin floral meanders in silver and gold around the edges.
The matching kogatana has a kozuka of shakudo carved again with samurai in battle, with details picked out in silver and gold, all representing scenes from the Genpei Wars between the Minamoto and the Taira, the kashira representing the battle of Dan no Ura in 1185. The scabbard is of wood covered in plain black lacquer, set with a fitting of a series of dancing Buddhist novices in shakudo. Compare the decoration of the iron tsuba in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, no. 06.246, and British Museum TS.208. For the blade compare Ishigiri (‘Stone-Cutter’) in the Royal Armouries collection, no. xxvis.369, a similarly cut down nagamaki.
A Very Fine Mounted Tanto¯ or Dagger
19 th century
Signed [. . .]hiro saku
Late Edo or Meiji Period, Japan.
Steel, lacquer, polychrome, rayskin, silk cord, silver, gold 47 cm / 18.5 in (overall length)
Provenance
Private collection, United Kingdom
The blade of this tanto is hira-zukuri construction with iori-mune Nagasa is 24.9 cm long. Kasane is 8 mm thick. The grain pattern is itame-hada and mokume-hada. Hamon is a narrow suguha in nioideki accompanied by small nie. The hamon of the tip is ko-maru. Nakago is ubu. Two peg holes mekugi-ana. The tang has a four-character signature, Tsunahiro Saku (綱廣作之). On the omote (the side which faces out when the blade is worn) is a chiselled horimono with three symbols in koshi-bi. Bonji (Sanskrit character) in combination with kuwagata (helmet ornament) and rendai (a lotus flower); on the ura (the side which faces in) is a horimono with Fudo Myo-o (the Buddhist deity) standing on the rock. The blade is fitted with copper habaki (collar) covered by gilded silver foil.
The aikuchi koshirae (mounting without a sword guard) comprising: a saya made of wood finished in polished black high quality urushi lacquer with a very fine kinpun (gold dust); the lower half is decorated with chrysanthemums in polychrome togidashi maki-e. The tsuka (hilt) is covered with same (rayskin) and bound with whale bone. The dagger’s metal fittings are all en suite in silver and heavily decorated with chrysanthemums with gilt details; the menuki depicts chrysanthemums blossoms and foliage floating on water. Kogatana (utility knife) is signed Umetada Yamato Daijo Minamoto no Yoshi… (梅忠 大和大掾...).
The Tsunahiro swordsmiths were part of the Soshu tradition, with generations working under this name from the early Muromachi to the late Edo period (14th – 19th Century). However, this tanto does not exhibit the usual characteristics typically seen in Soshu craftsmanship, making it difficult to attribute it to a Tsunahiro swordsmith confidently. The blade shows features that align with early Edo-period (1600 - 1650) workmanship, suggesting it may have been produced during that era.
A deep appreciation for nature is an integral part of Japanese culture, with each season offering unique beauty that is admired and celebrated. This love for nature is reflected in various aspects of daily life, including art, fashion, and even sword craftsmanship. In this case, the koshirae (sword mounting) is adorned with chrysanthemums, an iconic autumn flower symbolising longevity and rejuvenation in Japanese culture. Chrysanthemum feasts are traditionally held on Chou-you-no-Sekku (9 September), during which chrysanthemum wine is consumed. Originally introduced from China and associated with aristocratic tastes, the chrysanthemum later became a popular symbol in Japan. By the Edo period, chrysanthemum gardening had gained popularity, leading to the cultivation of various types, such as tubular chrysanthemums (Kudamono), with petals resembling thin tubes that opened like fireworks. Edo-period tastes gravitated toward unusual and striking floral shapes, including chrysanthemums that bloomed sideways, in front, or even with petals turned inside out, known as uragiku.
It was common for Japanese people, who deeply respected the natural world and its cycles, to change the themes of their sword mountings, along with their kimono, home decorations, and even scrolls or paintings, in accordance with the changing seasons. These seasonal motifs not only demonstrated an appreciation for the fleeting beauty of nature but also served as a way to align oneself with the natural flow of time, reflecting harmony between the samurai and the world around them. This practice was a subtle yet meaningful expression of a refined aesthetic sensibility, where art, nature, and daily life were closely intertwined.
Since ancient times, it has been believed in China that drinking water soaked with chrysanthemums would prolong one’s life. When chrysanthemums were introduced to Japan in the Nara period (710794), they were first spread for medicinal purposes. The custom of appreciating chrysanthemum flowers and drinking chrysanthemum wine in the hope of a long life also began around this time. It was not until the Heian period (794-1185) that chrysanthemums were used extensively as a pattern. The flower was also known as one of the ‘Four Wise Men (Shikunshi),’ along with the plum, bamboo, orchid, symbolising a virtuous person with learning, courtesy, and virtue. Chrysanthemums were particularly well-known as a favourite of Emperor Go-Toba. In 1926, the 16-petalled chrysanthemum was officially designated as the crest of the imperial family by law.
A Dagger, or Tanto¯
blade late 16th century
mounts late Edo¯ period, 1800-1850
Blade Momoyama Period. Mounts Edo¯ Period
Momoyama / Edo Period Japan. Steel, lacquer, copper alloy, gilding, rayskin, horn
Length: 47 cm / 18.5 in
Blade Length: 33 cm / 13 in
Provenance
Private collection, USA
The blade is iori mune, hira zukuri, the grain ko-itame with a band of nioi shadowing the wide gunomemidarehamon. On the omote (side with the signature facing out) of the tang (nakago) are two short parallel grooves known as gomabashi which represent the ritual chopsticks used in Buddhist ceremonies; on the ura (inner facing side) is a single short groove (koshihi ) representing the ken, the straight sword carried by the Buddhist deity Fudo Myo¯-o¯. The tang (nakago) has the two-character signature Kaneie 兼家, though the second character is much worn and barely readable. This is possibly the smith of that name working in the late sixteenth century in the style of the Seki School. The blade is fitted with a textured silver alloy collar (habaki ).
The mounting is in aikuchi 合口 (guardless) style. The hilt (tsuka) is covered in ray skin (same) with plain horn collar and pommel (fuchi kashira) with applied menuki on both sides in the form of a double paulownia flower (kiri ) in gold and shakudo¯.
The scabbard (saya) is covered in black lacquer textured with diagonal striations and covered with paulowniaflowers in gold. This emblem was used by the Toyotomi family, but by the Meiji period it had become the badge of the Japanese government.
In a pocket is a bye-knife (kogatana) of shibuichi, the late seventeenth century steel blade signed Shizu Saburo¯ Minamoto Kaneuji, 志津三郎源兼, personal name Toyama Jinju¯ro, who worked in O gaki in Mino province (Sesko 2012, 181); the kozuka handle is of patinated copper with a gold lion-dog (shishi ) riding a cloud on a fish roe (nanako) panel of shakudo¯
A Gold and White Laced Hon-Kozane
Ni-Mai Dô
late 16th century
Japan. Momoyama period (1573-1615). Iron, rawhide, leather, gold, copper, silk, lacquer and buffalo horn
70 cm × 42 cm / 27 in × 16.5 in
Provenance
Private collection, Japan
Astunning example of a hon-kozane ni-mai dô (small scale two section cuirass) laced in contrasting gold and white silk in the kebiki (close spaced) style over a black and gold lacquered base. The cuirass, made in two parts and hinged under the left arm with a kusazuri (hanging thigh protectors) of four lames arranged in seven sections and finished in matching contrasting colours. The technique of manufacturing kozane or lamellar armours can be traced back to the Heian period (794-1185) in Japan. This example dates to the late 16th century and is made from individual scales in both iron and rawhide called kozane. These are fastened together with leather thongs to form long rows and then lacquered to protect them. The rows of kozane are then assembled and laced in silk to form a strong cuirass which is both light and flexible. Due to the time consuming nature of making these armours and the flamboyant use of colours including gold this dô would have belonged to a samurai of high rank.
A Sixty-two plate suji-bachi Kabuto by Saotome Iyetada
early 17th century
Signed: Saotome Iyetada
Japan. Edo¯ period (1615-1868) first half of the 17th century
The meadate late edo¯ period c. 1850
Iron, gold, silver, leather silk, wood, lacquer.
Provenance
Private collection, Japan
AJapanese russet iron kabuto by Saotome Iyetada, the bowl is constructed from 62 triangular shaped plates which are riveted together to form a strong but light helmet. The exterior of the bowl is finished in russet iron which showcases the skill of the armourer as no rivet heads are visible. The helmet is topped with a multi-metal 4 stage tehen kanamono and mounted with a 5 lame manju shikoro (neck guard). This is finished in gold and laced in dark blue silk in the sugake or wide spaced style. The last lame of the shikoro has a row of decorative cross knots called hishi-nui under a row of checked silk called mimi-ito. The fukigaeshi (turnbacks) are also finished in gold and applied with a tomoe (3 comma) kamon in silver. The iron mabizashi (peak) is mounted with a tonbojiri-nari form crest holder, the bottom of which is supposed to resemble a dragon fly tail. This holds a large gilt wood maedate (fore crest) in the form of a scallop shell. The interior retains its original ukebari (liner) complete with a leather edged slit to view the signature of the armourer engraved on the inside of the bowl.
The most important feature of many Saotome school Kabutowas the use of ‘S’ shaped plates in its construction. These plates when riveted together not only formed a double skin but also created a small air space between them, in effect creating a crumple zone able to absorb an impact.
This use of shaped plates was technically very advanced illustrating how highly skilled armourers of the Saotome school were and why their helmets are so highly prized.
Kabuto: 56 cm × 37.5 cm / 22 in × 14.7 in (height on mount, diameter)
Menpo¯: 24.5 cm × 21 cm / 9.6 in × 8.2 in
Provenance
Private collection, Japan
Private, collection, United Kingdom
Arare russet iron Odawara school kabuto, the helmet bowl skilfully constructed from 52 triangular shaped plates, each with an upright flange exhibiting the rare feature of makikomi suji. The helmet bowl is finished in russet iron to exhibit the quality of the workmanship and decorated in gold and silver nunome (damascening) with designs of karakusa (foliate scrolls). The Kabuto is topped by a highly decorative copper gilt tehen kanamono bearing the meyui (eyes) Kamon used by the Honjô and Matsudaira families, the front plate is applied with an arrow shaped decoration in copper and gilt called a shinodare.The helmet bowl is mounted with a 5 lame manju shikoro (neck guard) in black kiritsuke kozane (false scale) emulating an earlier style of lamellar armour, it is laced in blue silk with a row of decorative cross knots in red silk called hishi-nui. The fukigaeshi (turn backs) of double form and decorated in leather, braid and star shaped studs to match the mabizashi (peak), both have an applied copper edging called a fukurin. The helmet retains its silk ukebari (liner) and shinobi-no-o (tying cord) and is mounted with a gilt metal maedate (fore crest) in the form of a riken, a Buddhist ritualistic sword.
The menpo¯, or “men-yoroi” is an armoured mask used by samurai to cover the face and nose. It was introduced in the late Muromachi period (1333-1568) along with the So¯men (full-face mask).
The mask of this particular menpo¯ is constructed of russet iron with its facial details in lacquered wood and horsehair. The attached neck lames or “ita” are bound together in the hon-kozane style with silk bound in dense knotting referred to as kebiki-odoshi It also features a small hole underneath the chin, designed for sweat drainage.
A Japanese Saddle or Kura
19 th century
Signed with kao, dated Kanbun ichinen kugatsu hi (a day in the 9 th month of 1661)
The riding saddle fitted with two lacquered igi [wood side boards], maewa [pommel] and shizuwa [cantle] of yamagata [highly-seated; ‘mountainshaped’] form, the pommel with the two umi [‘sea’] and iso [‘shore’] registers almost evenly constructed, the seat decorated overall in polished black lacquer, the maewa and shizuwa each decorated in gold hiramaki-e and takamaki-e with two swallows (tsubame) in flight and juji [cross] mark.
Fitted with two black lacquered wood side boards (igi ), the present lot is of the typical form known as a suikan-gura, a civilian riding saddle named after the suikan, a light dress worn by the nobility. These types of saddle are of a wider fit to allow for a large saddle. Carved to each side of the pommel are low-shouldered hand-shaped (tegata) indentations. A cross-mark crest ( juji mon) is emblazoned to the centre of the pommel flanked by two swallow birds in flight. It is thought that this crest may have even derived from the shape of a horse’s bridle.
The origins of wood saddles with high pommel and cantle can be traced back to the Kofun period (circa 300-538 AD) and are present in depictions of haniwa horses from the same period. The form of this early saddle developed into the gunjin-gura, or campaign saddle, and suikan-gura, the most common types of cavalry saddle seen on the medieval battlefield. In the Edo period (1603-1868), marked by the unification of Japan, two centuries of peace and a closed border policy (sakoku), the latter style was adopted for formal use in samurai processions to and from Edo (sankin kotai ). During these two centuries of national isolation, Japan was essentially held at a temporal standstill, rigorously adhering to its feudal system, whilst albeit cultivating knowledge of foreign lands through its tightly managed port cities. Production of saddles was formalised – even the sixteenth century matchlock rifles with which the archipelago managed to deter the encroaching Christian missions were unerringly manufactured in the same manner by gunsmiths well into the nineteenth century. This internal peace permitted the preservation of medieval horse and other military accoutrements, successfully passed down generation to generation, even after continuous ceremonial use over the centuries, until the present day.
A Japanese Indoor Archery Quiver or Yadzutso and Stand
late 19 th century
Wood, lacquer, silk, leather, gold (hiramaki)
50 cm / 19.6 in Provenance
Private collection, United Kingdom
The quiver is of lacquered leather and of characteristic form, decorated with a gilt Chinese Flowerr (karabana) mon, with its lid decorated en suite, fitted with leather straps with gilt borders for closure, and complete with its silk suspension cord and tassels, on its matching wooden stand.
A Pair of Sword Cases or Katana-Zutsu with
Hoshi and Aoi Kamons
18 th – 19 th century
Edo¯ Period, Japan. Hiramaki, lacquer, wood and steel
Tallest: 118 cm / 46.4 in (height on mount)
Shortest: 92 cm / 36.2 (height on mount)
Provenance
Private collection, United Kingdom
A Helmet
c. 17th century
Tibet or Bhutan. Iron, silver, gold, textile 24 × 22 cm (diameter) × 24.5 cm
Provenance
Private collection, United Kingdom
Literature
Islamic and Oriental Arms and Armour, Robert Hales, 2013, p. 109
This helmet has a one-piece hemispherical skull of russet iron, fitted with a browband at the base, decorated with cloud scrolls in gold koftgari with silver borders, and a separate lobed peak with finer cloud scrolls. Under the brow band is a series of holes for the attachment of a mail or textile aventail.
At the top a tall plume tube is attached by three rivets, decorated in bold foliate scrolls in gold koftgari on a silver ground.
This type of helmet it traditionally regarded as Bhutanese, though they probably became the most popular type throughout Tibet from the seventeenth century. They evolved from Mongol prototypes, like their lamellar predecessors. The Bhutanese connection is later, when they continued to be worn by the Royal Bodyguard into the 1950s.
Compare the later helmets in the Metropolitan Museum of Art no. 36.25.25 from the G. C. Stone collection, and the examples in the Royal Armouries nos xxvia.122–3, the latter three retaining their textile neckguards.
A Japanese Military Hat or Jingasa of Russet Iron
19 th century
Edo¯ Period, Japan. hiramaki (gold), lacquer and iron 41 cm / 16.1 in (diameter)
Provenance
Private collection, United Kingdom
The jingasa, or ‘camp hat,’ was a type worn by Japanese warriors when traveling or encamped. This jingasa is of the Ichimonji (flat type), and made of russet iron, moulded into the form of a Dragon, decorated with hiramaki (gold lacquer).
A Collection of Japanese Tsuba
18 th – 19 th century
Japan. Steel, gold, silver, copper-alloy 7 cm / 2.75 in (each)
Provenance
Private collection, USA
A
Japanese Military Hat or Jingasa
19 th century
Edo¯ Period, Japan. Gold, lacquer and wood
42 cm / 16.5 in (diameter)
Provenance
Private collection, USA
A Japanese Military Hat or Jingasa
19 th century
Late Edo¯ Period, Japan. Wood, lacquer and gold
42 cm / 16.5 in (diameter)
Provenance
Private collection, USA
An arm defence of this distinctive type formed a part of the specialist armour referred to as a Stechzeug, worn by members of the nobility of the Holy Roman Empire participating in the Deutsche Gestech, the ‘German Joust of Peace’. The present 16th century example, very likely from the Nuremberg workshop of Valentin Siebenbürger, is the defence for the right arm, under which the cradled lance was couched.
A Conical Ashigaru Teppo-Tai Jingasa
19 th century
Late Edo¯ Period, Japan. Lacquer, gold and wood
24 cm × 30 cm / 9.4 × 11.8 in
Provenance
Private collection, Japan
Private collection, UK
This Japanese ashigaru teppo-tai (gun troop) jingasa is lacquered in black with a gold band around the brim, The front applied with a crossed Yumiya (arrow) Kamon used by the Hisatomo clan.
Camp hat, or jingasa (陣笠), is a type of traditional headgear worn by warriors during the feudal period in Japan. The term jingasa is derived from ‘jin,’ meaning ‘camp,’ and ‘kasa,’ meaning ‘hat’ in Japanese. The jingasa was primarily worn for practical purposes: it provided protection from the elements such as rain and sun, as well as serving as a lightweight helmet during military training. It often featured a wide brim to shield the wearer’s face and neck from the sun or rain. The hat was typically made from materials like lacquered metal, leather, or woven bamboo.
In addition to its functional aspects, the jingasa was often adorned with various decorative elements that indicated the wearer’s rank or clan. Samurai would customize their jingasa to reflect their individual identity and affiliation. The jingasa evolved over time and had variations in design and materials depending on the era and region in Japan. The use of the jingasa declined as the samurai class waned and modernization took hold in Japan during the Meiji period (late 19th century).
A Japanese Jingasa
Edo¯ period, 19 th century
Japan. Wood and Lacquer
45 cm / 17.5 in Provenance Private collection, Paris
Black lacquered wooden war hat of hira-jingasa type (flat-shaped) decorated in slight relief with a gold lacquer crest of karabana type (Chinese inspired flower pattern), belonging to an unidentified family.
A Japanese Jingasa
Edo¯ period, 19 th century
Japan. Wood and Lacquer
39.5 cm / 15.5 in
Provenance
Private collection, Paris
Black lacquered wooden war hat of hira-jingasa type (flat-shaped) bearing a gold lacquer crest representing a triple tomoe carried by several daimyo families, the underside decorated with a sheet of gold leaf on a black lacquered background. It is signed in red lacquer Okabe Kumaji Fujiwara Masuaki
A Japanese Military Hat or Jingasa
19 th century
Edo¯ Period, Japan. Gold, lacquer and wood.
37 cm / 14.5 in (diameter)
Provenance
Private collection, United Kingdom
The jingasa, or ‘camp hat,’ was a type worn by Japanese warriors when traveling or encamped. This jingasa is of the Ichimonji (flat type), decorated with three fuji (wisteria) kamons.
A Japanese Military Hat or
19 th century
Jingasa
Edo¯ Period, Japan. Gold, lacquer and wood
42 cm / 16.5 in (diameter)
Provenance
Private collection, United Kingdom
The jingasa, or ‘camp hat,’ was a type worn by Japanese warriors when traveling or encamped. This jingasa is of the Ichimonji (flat type), decorated with the Aoi (hollyhock) kamon of the Tokugawa Shogunate, as well as Cho (butterfly) and Kikyo (Chinese Bellflower) kamons.
