OTTOMAN OR MAMLUK STEEL CHAMFRON

OTTOMAN OR MAMLUK STEEL CHAMFRON
Ca. 16th century AD. A steel chamfron, or baraki, with eye guards, and mail links to the head of the plate. The piece is formed of a single piece of steel and tapers towards the bottom by the nose. The plate is flanged with shallow grooves on the plate which follow the contours of the eyes and ears and continues to the muzzle. At the top of the plate is a raised crest holder or plume socket, and beneath it appears the engraved Ottoman arsenal mark (tan_a) of St. Irene. This chamfron was designed for an Ottoman heavy cavalryman and would have covered the forehead of the horse. It was an essential piece of armour in battle. Some chamfrons of this kind were made from tombak (gilt copper) while others were made of steel. Those made of tombak were much lighter than steel ones and were used more often for parades and ceremonies. For similar see: The Arts of the Muslim Knight_: The Furusiyya Art Foundation Collection. Milano: New York: Skira, 2008. Many examples of chamfron, specifically see p. 342; Hales R., . Islamic and Oriental Arms and Armour: A Lifetime’s Passion. 2013. pp. 330-331; The Worcester Museum, Object no. 2014.28; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Accession no. 36.25.496, no. 21.102.4. Size: 580mm x 260mm (widest points); Weight: 350g Provenance: Previous property of an Islamic art professional. Previously acquired by Ahuan U.K. Ltd. 19 February 1981 from E. Van Vleedenburgh. This item has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database and comes with a confirmation letter.