Set of Four Mirriors (Cuirass)
Unknown Artist
18th–19th century
Medium
Iron, textile, leather
Dimensions
Diam. of each 7 in. (17.8 cm)
Classification
Armor Parts-Cuirasses
Culture
Tibetan or Nepalese
Department
Arms and Armor
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of George C. Stone, 1935
Accession Number
36.25.351
Art Historical Context
This exquisite set of four iron mirrors, each measuring 7 inches in diameter, forms a unique component of a cuirass—a protective torso armor—from 18th–19th Tibet or Nepal. Crafted from iron with accents of textile and leather for straps or padding, these circular plates exemplify the fusion of functionality and symbolism in Himalayan arms and armor. The mirrors' polished surfaces not only served practical defensive purposes but also held spiritual significance, believed by warriors to reflect malevolent forces or enemy projectiles. In Tibetan and Nepalese martial culture, such armor pieces we...