Lot 318
  • 318

A Rare Mamluk Chainmail Shirt, Egypt, 15th Century

Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 GBP
bidding is closed

Description

  • Metal armour
composed of triple riveted and solid links, each stamped with three sets of inscriptions, reverse of each decorated with interlacing scrolls, the lower skirt composed of single riveted links, each stamped with two concentric circles

Provenance

The Armoury room of the Chateau de Gourdon

Condition

In overall good condition, with few missing links, as viewed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

inscriptions

Triple riveted link and the main body of solid links:

'Amir al-kabir misr sultan 'aqib khyar'

Interspersed solid links:

al-'izz fi'l-ta'a al-ghina fi'l-qana'a
'Power is in obedience and wealth is in contentment'

This armour belongs to a known group of inscribed shirts found in some of the major collections around the world. The talismanic nature of these shirts is shown in the inscriptions stamped on each link, either a specific benediction or the names of The Prophet Muhammad and his family. The purpose is clearly to protect the wearer both physically and spiritually from any harm in battle. A small number of these shirts have survived and are now held in The Hermitage, St. Petersburg, the Nasser D. Khalili Collection, London, the Kremlin, Moscow, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, the Musée de l'armée, Paris, the Royal Armouries, Leeds, the Topkapi Saray, Istanbul, as well as some important private collections.

The exact origins of this group have never been satisfactorily identified, and Persia has also been suggested as a place of manufacture in a series of articles written between 1897 and 1918 (specifically relating to the pieces in the Russian collections and one in a private German Colleciton). However, in 1934, Hans Stöcklein argued that the discussed examples were more likely to be Mamluk: "Up to the present, inscriptions have been found on individual rings only in shirts which...can be definitely identified as Mamluk Egyptian" (Pope and Ackermann 1938-9, p.2560).

This shirt, unknown to previous researchers, offers a good deal of information regarding place of origin. The main body of links specifically names Egypt (Masr), thus proving for the first time that these shirts are Mamluk. The shape of the rivets and the flattened nature of each link also define this particular group of armour. Triple riveting is extrememly rare and a comparable shirt with the same link construction is in The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Inv.31.35.3, see D.G. Alexander, 'Decorated and Inscribed Mail Shirts in the Metropolitan Museum', in Waffen-und Kostumkunde, 1, 1985, pp.29-36, no.5), which also shares the same rolling scroll design as the present example. The non-inscriptive links on this mail shirt can also be paralled with another Mamluk shirt in the Met (no.14.99.28, see ibid., no.6).

The nature of this armour, referencing the Sultan of Egypt as well as talismanic benedictions, suggest that it was probably a gift from the Sultan, forming part of the badge of office. Such gifts marking promotion and rank are well-known within Mamluk society, indeed a set of robes for horses, and sometimes a sword, accompanied the appointments of Amirs to Military offices (W. Popper, Egypt and Syria Under the Circassian Sultans 1386-1486, New York, 1977). In its fine condition, complex construction and historically important inscriptions, this is certainly among the rarest examples of a unique group of armour.