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Saladin's Treatise on Armor

before 1187
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
Impeccably drawn and rich with gilding, this manuscript is a celebration of the technology of war. It belonged to Saladin, famed to this day for bringing an end to European control of Jerusalem. Some of the weapons described in this text contributed to his success. This page shows a combination shield and concealed crossbow.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Saladin's Treatise on Armor
  • Date: before 1187
  • Geography: Made in Syria
  • Culture: Syrian
  • Medium: Opaque watercolors, gold, and ink on paper; 217 folios
  • Dimensions: 9 7/8 × 7 5/8 × 2 1/8 in. (25.1 × 19.4 × 5.4 cm)
  • Classification: Manuscripts and Illuminations
  • Credit Line: The Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford (MS Huntington 264)
  • Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters