Leather Helmet with Auspicious Symbols
One of the few surviving examples of its kind, this helmet, made of two halves of molded leather, imitates an iconic form of Tibetan helmet comprising eight overlapping iron plates joined together by leather laces. Its red surface is decorated with vajras and sixteen seed syllables forming the repeating mantra "Om ah hum." Red leather armor is an attribute of several deities, including the dharmapala Chos skyong bse khrab pa, whose name literally means "leather-armored dharma protector." While its vajras and mantra imbue this helmet with potent spiritual protection it is also a practical piece of defensive equipment. The use of hardened-leather armor is documented in regions that were culturally Tibetan for at least one thousand years, from the eighth or ninth century into the nineteenth.
Artwork Details
- Title: Leather Helmet with Auspicious Symbols
- Date: 15th–17th century
- Culture: Tibetan
- Medium: Leather, gold, shellac, pigments
- Dimensions: H. 6 1/4 in. (15.9 cm); Diam. 8 7/8 in. (22.5 cm); Wt. 1 lb. 13.7 oz. (842 g)
- Classification: Helmets
- Credit Line: Purchase, Bequest of George Blumenthal and Bashford Dean Memorial Collection, Funds from various donors, by exchange; Steve and Madeline Condella Gift; and Rogers Fund, 1998
- Object Number: 1998.1
- Curatorial Department: Arms and Armor
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Tibetan or Mongolian
possibly 12th–14th century
Tibetan or Mongolian
late 15th–early 17th century
Tibetan or Chinese
14th–16th century
Tibetan
17th–19th century
Tibetan, Derge
ca. 1943–47
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