Sikh Helmet

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Date : 1700-1799 Location: Leeds Armouries This small number of helmets, probably crafted in Lahore, boasts skulls or bowls fashioned after the Sikh turban. The rim of the bowl shines with lavishly decorated gold onlay (koftgari) encircling a thick border of stylised foliage and flowers. A raised central element is outlined at the base with a thick line of koftgari, topped by decorative cartouches to the front and rear, each filled with intricate scroll and leaf motifs picked out in koftgari. The attached aventail is made of fine butted mail of iron and brass arranged in a geometrical chevron pattern, featuring elongated points dropping down over the front and back of the shoulders. Remarkably, the lining of the helmet endures. This crimson velvet interior is hemmed with a green border of tougher fabric.