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Reference Image - Not for Reproduction
Mail Sleeve
Reference Image - Not for Reproduction
Image © Worcester Art Museum, all rights reserved.

Mail Sleeve

Culture European
Dateportions from perhaps 1300s
Mediumsteel
Dimensions61 × 35 cm (24 × 13 3/4 in.), 3 lb 10 oz (weight)
ClassificationsArms and Armor
Credit LineThe John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection
Object number2014.850
DescriptionFlat riveted links alternating with forged links, with band of thinner mail near the upper arm, and additional patching elsewhere. 9mm diameter rings with 6.5mm internalLabel TextPlate armor provided excellent protection for most parts of the body, but interior joints like the armpit and inside of the elbow could not readily be covered with plate. Mail sleeves like this one were often worn under plate armor to protect the gaps between the plates. They could also be worn to provide light and flexible protection for the arms, leaving heavier plate protection for the torso and other critical parts of the body.ProvenanceCollection transfer from Higgins Armory, January 2014.
On View
On view
Current Location
  • Exhibition Location   Gallery 2204
Mail Shirt
Ottoman
1600s-1700s
Reference Image - Not for Reproduction
European
1500s–1600s
Reference Image - Not for Reproduction
European
possibly 1700s
Reference Image - Not for Reproduction
European
possibly 1300s
Reference Image - Not for Reproduction
Indian
1700s, with later alterations
Reference Image - Not for Reproduction
European
probably early 1500s
Reference Image - Not for Reproduction
Indian
1700s, with later alterations
Reference Image - Not for Reproduction
Indian
1700s, with later alterations
Reference Image - Not for Reproduction
Persian
probably 1600–1650
Image © Worcester Art Museum, all rights reserved.
Nuremberg
early 1500s, modified into 1800s
Reference Image - Not for Reproduction
Indian
probably 1800s