thinly cast in iron in a dome shape, the exterior decorated in gilt with a frieze of Sanskrit characters written with raised beaded edges, interrupted by interlinked ferocious animal masks in low relief suspending beaded jewels, all between two bands of further Sanskrit characters, and evenly divided by two vertical flanges detailed with stylised parcel-gilt dragons, attached around the base with three flaps of silk cloth lined with steel plates, the front securing a lobed brim inlaid with further pairs of confronting dragons, surmounted by a tapered finial adorned with upright lappets once securing a tall finial (now missing), the iron surface oxidised to dark brown
This helmet is in reasonably good condition, but the finial is missing and the raised vertical ridge to the back of the helmet is missing. Only a 16cm section remains of the thin scroll border above the lower band of Sanskrit characters. An 18cm section of thin scroll border remains beneath the upper band of Sanskrit characters and a 12cm section remains above it and there is some damage to the end of one section of it. There is some damage to the three flaps of blue silk cloth that hang from the sides and back of the helmet.
"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."
Notable for its fine and precise casting which suggests an association with the Qianlong Emperor, this helmet would have been made for ceremonial use, although the protective steel plates on the three flaps are also found on armours meant for battle. The Qianlong Emperor was particularly obsessed with his military successes and in his old age referred to himself as Shiquan Laoren (‘The Old Man of the Ten Completed Great Campaigns’). Qianlong customarily wore helmets of this type together with elaborate matching armour on his great inspections of the military, as seen in the painting
The Emperor Qianlong’s Review of the Grand Parade of Troops, included in the exhibition
New Visions at the Ch’ing Court. Giuseppe Castiglione and Western-Style Trends, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2007, cat. no. 27, and recently sold in our New York rooms, 8th October 2008, lot 2101, where he is shown dressed in a ceremonial armour with a helmet, riding a horse. See also two famous paintings by the Jesuit artist, Giuseppe Castiglione, both depicting the Qianlong Emperor wearing a helmet of this type, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, the first illustrated in
The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Paintings by the Court Artists of the Qing Court, Hong Kong, 1996, pl. 29, and the second, included in the exhibition
Forbidden City. Imperial Treasures from the Palace Museum, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, 2014, cat. no. 33.
Two helmets of this type, from the Qing Court collection and still in Beijing, are illustrated together with the complete imperial ceremonial armour in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Armaments and Military Provisions, Hong Kong, 2008, pls 56 and 57, together with two helmets also inlaid with pearls, pls 53 and 55, and one lacking the suspended beaded jewels, pl. 59; two in the Field Museum, Chicago, were included in the exhibition Splendors of China's Forbidden City. The Glorious Reign of Emperor Qianlong, The Field Museum, Chicago, 2004, cat. no. 133 and 134, the latter of which forms part of a blue-ground suit of ceremonial armour; another is held in the collection of the Musée de l'Armée, Paris, inventory no. G 749; and a further helmet, was sold in these rooms, 15th May 2013, lot 276.
It was the Kangxi Emperor, Qianlong’s grandfather, who first used helmets of this type inscribed in Tibetan script. The inscription, which reads xinzhou zunian Guanshiyin pusa (uttering mantra to the Avalokitesvara bodhisattva), may have originally had a protective function for the wearer and draws attention to the devotion of the Qing Emperors to Tibetan Buddhism. For a prototype of this piece, see the helmet worn by Kangxi in the painting Emperor Kangxi in Martial Attire, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the Museum’s exhibition Emperor Kangxi and the Sun King Louis IX, Taipei, 2011, cat. no. IB-2.
