Author:Anonymous

Category：Weapons and defense

Year：Horse armour: 16th or 17th century; Man armour: dated 1691

Introduction：This very rare Indian horse armour is of 16th or 17th century manufacture. It uses a large number of small overlapping plates that are attached to a padded textile support fitting closely to the horse. This scale armour was also used in the construction of Indian elephant armour of the same period. This is the only known example of its type to be on public exhibition. Only one other all–metal horse armour of this style is in existence, but it is in a private collection.

The armour for the man is dated 1691 and is inscribed to the Mughal general Anup Singh. It is constructed of a mixture of mail (a group of small links fitted together) and plate armour. It is very rare and together with a similar armour in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, which bears a similar inscription. It is one of the earliest recorded dated Indian armour still existing. It is similar in form to other armours that were in use from 1560–1630, and it is therefore probably older than the date marked on it.

Accession Number:0002905

Place of Orgin：India