Title: Helmet
Classification: Helmet
Artist(s): Unknown
Date: c.1838
Dimensions: Circ. 22.5 in.
Museum number: 297
Physical location: Section 2 (Central Hall): Implements of War
Inscriptions:
Akāl Sahāi
(Supported by God)
Zarfishān kard badiyā-e khās
(A special gilded bowl)
Fateh ya shahīd?
(Victor or martyr)
Sambat 1895
(Vikram Samvat 1895 [c. 1838 CE])
This hemispherical close-fitting copper helmet must have been worn by a member of the Sikh royal family or a Sikh noble. Its crowning inverted-lotus-flower in the top center may have held heron feathers, a sign of monarchy. Another similar symbol is denoted by the vertically oriented cusped-cartouche at the helmet’s front. This cartouche appears to substitute a sar-pesh or turban ornament, a characteristic feature of the Sikh aristocracy’s headgear. In keeping with the military character of the helmet, the cartouche is inscribed with a Persian inscription (see details tab). A few extant steel rings in the perforations of its rim indicate the chain mail neck guard it once sported.
