SUV. U5 ; NOTES ON ARMS AND ARMOR THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART NOTES ON ARMS AND ARMOR BY BASHFORD DEAN CURATOR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ARMS AND ARMOR NEW YORK M C M X V I I. / Z~ PREFACE the field of arms and armor The Metropohtan Museum IiN of Art has hitherto pubhshed four handbooks or cata- logues, viz. : Catalogue of the Loan Collection of Japan- ese Armor (Handbook No. 14), 1903, 71 pp., 14 figs. (Out of Print); Catalogue of European Arms and Armor (Hand- book No. 15), 1905, 215 pp., loi figs. (Out of Print); Catalogue of a Loan Collection of Arms and Armor, 19,1 i, 85 pp., pis. i-xlvii; Handbook of the Collection of Arms and Armor, including the William H. Riggs Donation. 1915. 161 pp., pis. i-lxv [Edition 1, January, Edition II, March]. Together with these appeared from time to time in the Museum Bulletin a series of notes upon various branches of the subject, mainly relating to accessions, but sometimes touching a wider field. Between 1905 and the present year, 19 16, about fifty contributions are recorded, nearly all from the pen of the curator, some brief, some extended. As they were widely scattered, it now seems well to bring them to- gether, with certain changes and additions in both text and figures, together with a hitherto unpublished article, for the use of those who are interested in armor and arms and in the activities of the Museum in this field. Edward Robinson, Director. April, 1916. ioib 1 7 CONTENTS PAGE PAGE I. Casques of Tibetan High XIV. The Rearranged Armor Gal- Priests 3 lery 29 I : ( 1 906) 97-98 IV (1909): 28-29 11. A Japanese Sword-Guard XV. Recent Accessions of Arms Picturing a . Hollander. 4 and Armor 31 I (1906): 1 7- 1 18 1 IV (1909): 54 III. A Modern Japanese Helmet 7 XVI. A Bronze Corselet of the I I (1907): 10 Hallstatt Period 32 IV. Objects from the William I V ( : 89-90 1 909) Cruger Pell Collection of XVII. Rutherfurd Stuyvesant. ... 34 Arms 8 6- I V ( 909) : 1 1 1 H (1907): 48 1 1 XVlll. Rutherfurd Stuyvesant, V. Note on Japanese Helmets. 9 II (1907): 48 First Patron of the Mu- VI. Accessions of Primitive Jap- seum Collection of Arms and Armor 38 anese Arms and Armor. 1 IV (1909): 155 1 1 ( : 1 1 907) 07 VII. Gift of a Turko-Austrian XIX. Department of Arms and Cannon to the Collection Armor—The Upkeep of of Arms and Armor 12 the Collection 40 II (1907): 107-108 IV (1909): 190 VIII. A Gift of Japanese Sword- XX. Note on the "Casque of Guards from Japan 13 Jeanne d'Arc" . 41 II (1907): 138-139 V (19 10): 16-17 IX. The Hall of Japanese Armor 15 XXI. A Seventeenth- C e n t u r\' II (1907): 203-204 Wheellock Pistol 43 X. A Specimen of Early Japa- V (1910): 148-149 nese Armor 21 XXI 1. Recent Accessions of Arms HI (1908): 13-14 and Armor XI. An Acquisition of Early 45 V (1950): 257-258 Bronze Armor 23 Exhibition of Arms HI (1908): 38-39 XXI II. Loan XII. A Seventeenth-Century Ar- and Armor, 191 1 47 mor for Horse and Man. 26 V (1910): 259; VI (191 1): HI (1908): 56-57 2-M 50-51 XIII. A Gift of Embroidered XXIV. Accessions in .\rms and Yoko-Zuna (Champion Armor: Swords and a \'o- Wrestler's Aprons) 28 netian Salade 50 III (1908): 93 \'I (i()i i): 2^7-2 ^S Vll 1 CONTENTS PAGE P.\GE XX\'. An Assxrian Sword. ... 52 XXXVl I. Mr. Riggs as a Collector \'II (1912): 3-4; 62; of .Armor 86 IX (1914) : 66-74 XX\'I. .Armor Worn in .America 55 XXX\1I1. Not a Banner but a B\- VII (1912): 26-28 zantine .Altar Carpet . 98 XX\1I. The Gauntlets of the IX ( 1914) : 97-98 Earl of Sussex (1583) 58 XXXIX. .An Italian Bow and \TI (1912): 214-215 Quiver of the Renais- XXX'III. -A Loan Collection of sance 100 Japanese Sword- IX (1914): 100-10 Guards 60 XL. .A Gift of Japanese \T1 (1912): 227 Sword-Guards 102 XXIX. .A Collection of .Armor- IX (19 14) 1140- 142 ers' Implements 62 XLl. The Opening of the Wil- \'I I (1912): 231 liam H. Riggs Collec- XXX. The .Armor of Sir James tion of .Armor 105 Scudamore 63 X (1915): 2; 32-33 \III (1913): 118-123 XLl I. .An .Armorer's Workshop 109 XXXI. .A Sword-Guard b\' the X (1915): 12S-127 Japanese Artist Ka- XLl 11. Diane's Stirrup 112 nei\ e Sho-Dai 69 X (191 5): 129 \TII (19 3): 1 59-162 1 XL1\'. An Explanatorx' Label for XXXll. .A Thirteenth-Centur\- Helmets 113 Marble Relief from X (1915): 173-177 Poblet 73 XLV. Historical Fan, War-Hat. \11I (1913): 172-173 and Gun from Japan.. 119 XXXI II. .A Raven in Embossed X (191 5): 256-260 Steel b\' the Japanese XL\'l. .Armor of Dom Pedro II, .Armorer .\l\ochin King of Portugal Munesuke 76 123 XI (1916): 19-21 \III (1913): 180-181 \'. XLN'll. .A Late Se\enteenth-Cen- XXX I Two Memorial Effigies of the Late X\'I Cen- tur\- Italian Sabre . 126 tur\ 79 XI (1916): 42-43 \'1 The .Armor of Sir James 1 1 (1913): 218-220 XLVIII. XX.W. Loan Collection of Jap- Scudamore. 128 anese Sword-Guards. 82 XI (1916): 69-71 Vill (1913): 272-273 XLIX. -Mr. Morgan's Milanese XXX\1. The William H. Riggs Casque 131 Collection of .Arms XI (1916): 86-89 and Armor 85 L. Pole-Arms: their Kinds IX (1Q14): 66 and their Development 135 viu NOTES ON ARMS AND ARMOR NOTES ON ARMS AND ARMOR CASQUES OF TIBETAN HIGH PRIESTS recent expedition of the Bri- cently been added to the Museum collec- THEtish to Lhasa has borne at least tions. They were obtained by the curator one kind of fruit, for it has ex- of arms and armor during a recent visit tracted from forbidden Tibetan to northern India, and are now presented monasteries art objects of no common in- by him to the Museum. The\' are made terest. Indeed, according to a well-known of copper, hammered out of single pieces, collector, more Tibetan objects have been then incrusted with medallions; the latter, secured during the single year past (1904) with brow bands and ear guards, were than during thirty years preceding. And finally overlaid with gold. Their form is this may well be the case when we consider curiously archaic, and it is from this stand- that the returning members (using the point that they are of interest; for they term "members" in its widest sense) of suggest exotic influence, early Indian and the Younghusband expedition brought possibly even Greek. Thus, the oldest of back with them the portable treasures of these priestly helmets, fig. i, dating proba- several of the oldest and most conservative bly from the sixteenth centurx', has the Lamaseries. Such objects, accordingly, broad crown and hood-like features shown are finding their way into the hands of the in certain Graeco-Bactrian monuments; art dealers of Darjeeling, Calcutta, and while the two remaining casques, with their Delhi, and thence through their correspon- tall crowns and narrow brow bands, suggest dents into foreign collections. In recent head-gear which appears in the (Jain) rock months not a few excellent mandara (scrolls sculptures of southern India. Their decor- picturing the Tibetan pantheon) have been ation, on the other hand, is clearl\' Mon- exported to Paris and Berlin; many curious golian. The casque shown in fig. 3 dates gilded bronzes, temple ornaments garnished from the late seventeenth or earl\' eigh- with turquoise, and many relics and reli- teenth centur\-, and is of the better class quaries. Among the last may be men- of workmanship; it is richl\' laden with tioned such an object as the extraordinary Buddhistic figures, and here and there in- cup formed of a saintly skull, recently crusted with crxstal and turquoise. Unfor- presented to the Metropolitan Museum by tunately this specimen lacks the ear guards. Mr. Laffan; such also are aprons made up These, however, are present in the third of elaborately carved bones, or drums casque, fig. 2, which in all other regards is formed of crania, or temple horns of which the least interesting. It is poor in work- the resonant shafts are the arm-bones of manship, and is modern, dating from about righteous men! 1800. Among the temple treasures have occas- A helmet borne b\ a high priest suggests ionally been found antique helmets, pro- evidentl\' an epoch in Tibetan histor\' when fusely decorated with Buddhistic symbols; the priest was a militar>' no less than a and three of these, figs. 1 to 3, have re- ghostly ruler. A JAPANESE SWORD-GUARD PICTURING A HOLLANDER is clearlx' recognized that the influ- shop one ma\ run across an earl\' European ITence of Europe upon Japan during the button, brooch, painting, primitive watch, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries or bit of brocade. .Among other European was b\' no means unimportant. And objects, decorated leather found its way even throughout the period when the re- into japan at an earl\' period, and was strictions upon the Dutch "factorx" at there highl\- prized. It was used not for Deshima allowed onl\- a boat a \ear to dis- screens— it was over costly for that —but as a veneer fortobacco pouches, small cabinets, and parts of armor.