Persian Qajar Period Helmet

Persian Qajar Period Helmet

Persian Qajar Period (1800-1850) helmet. Steel, dome-shaped inscribed with six panels of Persian court garden scenes. Lower portion of helmet is decorated with a wide band of panels containing Persian calligraphy. The entire helmet was originally lavishly decorated with gold and silver Koftgari, of which traces remain. The mostly intact aventail is made from small, fine butted mail. A sliding nose guard, and two plume holders are riveted in place. Spike on top is threaded and can be removed.
  • Object: Persian Qajar Period Helmet
  • Artist: -
  • Circa: 1800-1850
  • Dimensions: 8" D x 8" W x 20" H
  • Culture Area: Iran; Persia; Middle East
  • Cultural Group: Iran, Qajar
  • Cultural Context: The Qajar dynasty brings to an end a long period of political instability, reuniting Iranian territory after the disunity and warfare that characterized much of the eighteenth century. This period witnesses a transition from tribal to centralized rule. Khula Khud helmets originated in Central Asia, and were worn by Persian Empire soldiers in the 18th and 19th Centuries. Made of steel, these bowl-shaped helmets were designed as either low and flat, or high and pointed. They sometimes contained a spike socket at the top of the helmet, which resembles a spearhead with a cross-like section. Two or three plume holders were attached on either side of the skull, used to mount feathers from birds such as the egret. Despite the modernization of Iran’s military in the nineteenth century, traditional armor continues to be manufactured. Since the 19th-century, the Khula Khud has been displayed in military parades, used as a part of costumes worn in dramatizations, and sold as a souvenir. For centuries, Persian kingship was epitomized by two complementary pursuits: bazm (feast) and razm (fight). The ruler’s success as both a reveler and hunter/warrior distinguished him as a worthy and legitimate sovereign. The pairing of bazm and razm as the ultimate royal activities is an ancient concept with roots in pre-Islamic Iran.  https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/10/wai.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kulah_khud
  • Donor: IELM Funds
  • Catalog #: 119.012