In addition to the armor of Europe, consideration should be given to
that of the Middle East, of which the City Art Museum displays a number
of fine specimens in a special gallery. Armor was worn in Persia and in
India long after it had been abandoned in Europe; it is even possible
that among isolated tribes armorers may still be plying their trade.
However, as in Europe, the later work tended to deteriorate, and the
earlier an Eastern armor is, the better will it probably be.
The Indian and Persian smiths had two specialties: Damascus steel and
damascened steel, which are often and not unnaturally confused, both
having presumably originated at Damascus. Damascene work has already
been described on page 15; both the “true” and the “false” variety were
practised throughout the Middle East. Damascus steel, on the other hand,
is a type of metal especially suitable for armor and sword blades, made
by the intimate combination, in innumerable layers, of two kinds of
metal, one extremely hard, the other soft and tough. As billets of this
composite steel were twisted, bent, and reformed, the superimposed
layers made intricate patterns like those in watered silk. Such Damascus
steel patterns can be best observed in sword and dagger blades like
those illustrated in Fig. 35, page 29.
[Illustration: _Fig. 24. This is the breastplate of a Persian suit
of armor. The buckles are for the straps which attach the side and
back plates._]
The Persian armorers did not follow the European custom of forging body
armor exactly to fit the wearer, but instead made the principal defense
of four rectangular plates known as _char aina_ or “the four mirrors”.
Two were worn as breast- and backplate respectively, the other two, made
concave on the upper edge, were worn at the sides, the concavity fitting
under the arm. Chain mail was always used in the East, even more
extensively than in Europe, to protect all areas of the body not covered
by the char aina or other defenses of solid plate. Fig. 24 shows a plate
of such a four-piece armor. It is made of fine Damascus steel (the
pattern is too fine to show in the photograph), and is decorated with
damascene inlay of floral arabesques in gold. This is work of the late
sixteenth or early seventeenth century, and combines adequate
functionality with oriental elegance. A Persian helmet (Fig. 25) of the
same period shows skillful forging of the fluted ornament.
[Illustration: _Fig. 25. The chain mail which now looks rather
ragged originally hung evenly around the rim of this Persian
helmet._]
[Illustration: _Fig. 26. Although corroded, this fifteenth century
Turkish helmet demonstrates the wonderful skill of Middle Eastern
armorers._]
But the helmet in Fig. 26, probably a century or more earlier, shows a
much greater appreciation of sculptural form. With a row of parallel
vertical flutings around its domed upper part, it resembles closely the
Maximilian armor of contemporary Europe. It is doubtful, however, if
many European smiths could have forged the minaret-like pinnacle which
terminates the dome. The helmet is decorated with damascene work of
silver in calligraphic inscriptions and arabesques. Its owner’s neck was
protected by chain mail attached around the lower edge of the helmet.
Probably because of the warmer climate, the Saracenic warriors never
adopted the closed helmet of European lands, but preferred to leave the
face exposed, or protected only by a nasal bar which was often so
arranged that it could be slid upwards and clamped.