Pair of Armguards

+1
images

Not on display

Artist/Maker	Unknown
Place of origin	Lahore (made)

Pair of arm guards dastana, of steel with a gold koftgari pattern of palmettes and tendrils arranged in a basic design of circles. Two borders surround the ground, one with a gold kuftkari flower and rope design, the other on a raised edge with a floral pattern. Near the wrist, a hinged plate with a similar design, protects the inside of the forearm while mail is provided for the protection of the wrist and the top of the hands, normally stitched to a padded glove.

Object details

Category	Arms & Armour
Object type	Pair of armguards
Parts	This object consists of 2 parts. Arm Guard Arm Guard
Materials and techniques	Steel decorated with gold kuftkari Steel Gold Kuftkari
Brief description	Pair of armguards dastana steel with gold kuftkari decoration and mail gloves, probably Lahore, 19th century
Physical description	Pair of arm guards dastana, of steel with a gold koftgari pattern of palmettes and tendrils arranged in a basic design of circles. Two borders surround the ground, one with a gold kuftkari flower and rope design, the other on a raised edge with a floral pattern. Near the wrist, a hinged plate with a similar design, protects the inside of the forearm while mail is provided for the protection of the wrist and the top of the hands, normally stitched to a padded glove.
Dimensions	Overall length: 535mm Depth: 80mm
Gallery label	(August 2017) PAIR OF ARMGUARDS Watered steel, chiselled and overlaid with gold; with mail gloves Lahore 19th century IS.210-1964 Given by the Right Hon. the Earl Kitchener of Khartoum Lahore, the northern capital of the Mughal empire from the early 16th century, was renowned for the production of arms and armour made of watered steel. High quality weapons embellished with delicate gold-overlaid decoration continued to be produced throughout the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Lahore and Amritsar. After the British annexed the Punjab in 1849, the production of weapons was banned, but traditional armourers continued to produce wares under license in these cities, as souvenirs or for interior decoration.
Credit line	Given by Lord Kitchener
Object history	Given by the Right Hon. the Earl Kitchener of Khartoum
Subjects depicted	Arabesques Palmettes Scrolling Foliage
Associated objects	IS.209-1964 (Object) IS.209A-1964 (Object) IS.209B-1964 (Object) IS.209C-1964 (Object)
Collection	South & South East Asia Collection
Accession number	IS.210&A-1964

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record created	June 25, 2009
Record URL	https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O455782/pair-of-armguards-unknown/

Download as: JSON IIIF Manifest

Object details

About this object record

You may also like