Kulah Zirah (mail head defense)
Culture
Western Indian
Date1800s
Mediumiron and brass
Dimensions58 × 56 cm (22 13/16 × 22 1/16 in.), 2 lb, 14 oz (weight)
ClassificationsArms and Armor
Credit LineThe John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection
Object number2014.19
DescriptionThe mail hood has a small dish-shaped cap of brass; the hole in the center of this is for a lost plumeholder. The links are butted and finely made. The mail is worked in a lozenge pattern of alternating iron and brass links, in the "Ganga-jamni" style, taking its name from a fancied resemblance to the water of the Ganges and Jamna Rivers. The object is finely made and in very good condition.Label TextSome of the most attractive mail comes from India, where under Persian influence brass and iron rings were integrated in a style called “Ganga-Jamni,” alluding to the mixing of the muddy waters of the Ganges River with the dark ones of the Jamna. The headpiece here comes from the area of Lahore, the capital of Punjab and traditionally one of the leading centers of armor making in southern Asia. At the crown of the head this piece has a brass plate for a plume holder. The accompanying mail shirt has leather reinforcing for the collar, a style often found in Indian and Middle Eastern mail. It has heavy rings on the chest for extra protection, with lighter ones below and on the sleeves to reduce the overall weight of the garment.ProvenancePurchased by John W. Higgins on September 28, 1929 from estate of Bashford Dean (Riverdale, NY). Given to the Museum on July 1, 1954. Collection transfer from Higgins Armory, January 2014.
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