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Lamellar Armor and Helmet
Tibetan, 17th century or earlier
Iron, leather, textile
H. as mounted approx. 65 in. (165.1 cm)
On loan courtesy of the National Museums of Scotland,
Royal Museum, Edinburgh
cat. no. 1

This armor is unusual both for its completeness and for being made of twice as many rows as most other lamellar armors. It is also the only example in a Western collection, and probably one of the few in the world, that has full armored sleeves. Similar sleeves of this rare form have also been found in the ruins of Tsaparang, the capital of the ancient kingdom of Guge, in Ngari (western Tibet). This helmet is also one of the most complete and best-preserved of the eight-plate lamellar type.

all text & images © Metropolitan Museum of Art


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