Mail and Plate Upper-leg Defense
Culture
Ottoman
Date1500s-early 1600s
Mediumiron and brass with traces of silver inlay and with modern leather
Dimensions54.6 × 41.9 × 6.4 cm (21 1/2 × 16 1/2 × 2 1/2 in.), 2 lb 10 oz (weight)
ClassificationsArms and Armor
MarkingsOttoman Tamga on brazed seal on the mail below the knee plate.
Credit LineThe John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection
Object number2014.871
DescriptionPointille and traces of koftgari on knee plate. Brass seal below knee. Mail alternates riveted and punched links; relatively large links. Coarse buckles probably later, but likely a working-life repair--the double buckle at the top suggests real use.Label TextWhere European knights would wear mail underneath their plate armor, Asian armorers incorporated mail and plate elements into single garments. Body armor of this type was worn from the late Middle Ages until the nineteenth century. The complete suit would have covered most of the body with a similar combination of mail and plate.ProvenanceAngelo Peyron (Florence, Italy) purchased by the Museum on 5 November 1954, from Savoy Art and Auction Galleries (NYC), sale no. 450, lot no. 597. Paid $45 for lot. Collection transfer from Higgins Armory, January 2014.
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