Turban Helmet
c. 1475–1500
Medium
Steel and silver
Dimensions
H.: 55.9 cm (22 in.)
Classification
helmet
Department
Applied Arts of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
106372
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Turban helmets such as this one, dating from the late 15th century, were used throughout modern Eastern Turkey and Iran by the Aq Qoyunlu tribal federation (known as the White Sheep Turkomans). Its bulbous shape and fluted (ribbed) body are intended to mimic the shape and folds of textile turbans. Together, with the associated mail face- and neck-guard (aventail) and a now-missing nasal bar, it was the principal head defense for a horseman. The wide bands along the base and top of the helmet ar...
About the Artist
Islamic
Islamic art, a profound visual tradition originating in the 7th century CE, flourished across vast territories from Spain to India under Muslim rule, encompassing architecture, ceramics, manuscripts, textiles, and metalwork produced by diverse artisans rather than a single named master. Drawing from pre-Islamic Sasanian, Byzantine, and late antique influences, its early development under the Umayy...