Place of Origin: Tibet
Date: 15th to 16th Century
Bowl Diameter: 235mm
This helmet bowl comprises sixteen plates, with eight outer plates overlapping eight inner plates in an over-and-under pattern. The plates are secured by means of iron rivets with dome-shaped heads. This example has outer plates with cusps which are less pronounced than those normally encountered (see British Museum acc.no.1880-725  and Runjeet Singh ). Both examples quoted have outer plates with cusps that almost touch those of the adjacent plate.
The inner and outer plates each have a pronounced medial ridge, giving the impression of the helmet having many more plates than it does. The bowl is surmounted by a plume socket with a double knop, and the interior of the helmet has two partly detached brackets at opposite sides, presumably for securing ear and neck defences.
(1) La Rocca, Warriors of the Himalayas, Rediscovering the Arms and Armour of Tibet, 2006, p.58, cat.no.3.
(2) Singh, Arms & Armour from the East, 2016, p.97, no.39.