A SILVER-DAMASCENED 'DRAGON' IRON HELMET, 14TH-17TH CENTURY Tibet. The exterior of the helmet made from nine curved platelets, seven of which are decorated with sinuous dragons, joined by nine scalloped rims with prominent central ribs, the upper tips of the ribs notched to enclose the base of the double knot plume. The front of the helmet reinforced with a scalloped plate decorated with a dragon head at the center framed by two further sinuous dragons. The lower edge of the helmet pierced to secure the three-tiered neck guard.

Provenance: New York trade.
Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. Some wear, casting flaws, corrosion, encrustations, minor nicks and losses, light scratches. The silver inlays are well preserved.

Weight: 1,980 g
Dimensions: Height 42.9 cm

This type of segmented Tibetan helmet, used originally with a coat of lamellar armor, was probably derived from Sasanian Persian helmets of the 3rd century CE. During the 14^th-17^th century, Tibet was a disunited country where a number of regional secular rulers allied to religious orders vied for power and in which warfare was not uncommon. A sizeable armor production in Tibet was the result of this situation. The present helmet, with fine silver inlays depicting fierce dragons, is a rare example of this group.

Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related iron helmet, dated to the 14^th-17^th century, Tibet, in the collection of the National Museums Scotland, reference number A.1909.406 A. Compare a related iron helmet, dated to the 16^th-17^th century, Tibet, in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 2008.354.



十四至十七世紀錯銀龍紋鐵頭盔
西藏。藏族鐵盔正面擋片分別繪製一條蜿蜒的龍紋，九瓣鐵盔的葉片採用鍛造技術成型，盔頂下端是圓片形，連接盔葉，盔頂一體鍛造。每盔葉有三道內凹弧線，正視呈上尖下平的圭型。盔下沿編綴頓項甲片，編綴是先橫排由右片壓左片，後使用上排的中單獨孔連接縱列。

來源：紐約古玩交易。
品相：狀況良好，一些磨損、製造瑕疵、侵蝕、結殼，小刻痕和損失、輕微劃痕。錯銀部分保存良好。

重量：1,980 g
尺寸：高 42.9 厘米

這種分段式的西藏頭盔，最初使用一層層狀盔甲，可能源自公元三世紀的薩珊波斯頭盔。 十四至十七世紀，西藏並不穩定，許多地區世俗統治者爭奪權力，戰爭並不少見。 西藏大量的裝甲生產就是這種情況的結果。 現在的頭盔，帶有精美的錯銀龍紋，是一個很少見的例子。

文獻比較：
比較一件非常相近十四至十七世紀西藏鐵頭盔，收藏於蘇格蘭國家博物館，編號A.1909.406 A. 比較一件相近的十六至十七世紀西藏鐵頭盔，見紐約大都會藝術博物館，編號2008.354。