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Breast Defense (Peytral) from a Horse Armor

15th–17th century
Not on view
In terms of its decoration, this peytral displays a far greater variety of motifs, executed in a more fluid and accomplished style, than any other comparable example of Tibetan horse armor. At the center of the upper section there is a Wish-Granting Jewel on a lotus throne flanked by symmetrical sprays of lush leafy stems and blossoms, and in the center of the lower section there is a Right-turning Conch Shell. The borders of the central sections are edged with silver wire, while the other sections have copper wire, both sewn in a fine chain stitch. Carbon-14 tests of the leather resulted in a date range of 1402 to 1626.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Breast Defense (Peytral) from a Horse Armor
  • Date: 15th–17th century
  • Culture: Tibetan or Mongolian
  • Medium: Leather, iron, brass or copper alloy, silver, gold, shellac, pigments, textile, hair (yak)
  • Dimensions: H. 22 1/2 in. (57.2 cm); W. 25 5/8 in. (65.1 cm)
  • Classification: Armor for Horse
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Bashford Dean Memorial Collection, Funds from various donors, by exchange, 1999
  • Object Number: 1999.36
  • Curatorial Department: Arms and Armor

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Pair of Stirrups (<i>yob</i>), Iron, gold, silver, Tibetan or Mongolian
Pair of Stirrups (yob)
Tibetan or Mongolian
possibly 12th–14th century
Shaffron (Horse's Head Defense), Iron, leather, gold, silver, brass or copper alloy, textile, Tibetan or Mongolian
Shaffron (Horse's Head Defense)
Tibetan or Mongolian
late 15th–early 17th century
Armored Cavalryman, Steel, iron, gold, silver, copper alloy, brass, wood, leather, textile, bone, horn, silk, hair, turquoise, lead, Tibetan, and possibly Bhutanese and Nepalese
Armored Cavalryman
Tibetan, and possibly Bhutanese and Nepalese
18th–19th century
Armored Cavalryman, Steel, iron, gold, silver, copper alloy, brass, wood, leather, textile, bone, horn, silk, hair, turquoise, lead, Tibetan, and possibly Bhutanese and Nepalese
Armored Cavalryman
Tibetan, and possibly Bhutanese and Nepalese
18th–19th century
Sword (Ral gri), Iron, steel, gold, silver, Tibetan or Chinese
Sword (Ral gri)
Tibetan or Chinese
14th–16th century

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