Lot 143. An extremely rare imperial parcel-gilt iron helmet, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period (1736-1795). Estimate 50,000 — 70,000 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

thinly cast in iron in a dome shape, the exterior decorated in gilt with a frieze of Sanskrit characters written with raised beaded edges, interrupted by interlinked ferocious animal masks in low relief suspending beaded jewels, all between two bands of further Sanskrit characters, and evenly divided by two vertical flanges detailed with stylised parcel-gilt dragons, attached around the base with three flaps of silk cloth lined with steel plates, the front securing a lobed brim inlaid with further pairs of confronting dragons, surmounted by a tapered finial adorned with upright lappets once securing a tall finial (now missing), the iron surface oxidised to dark brown - 25 cm, 9 3/4  in.

Notes: Notable for its fine and precise casting which suggests an association with the Qianlong Emperor, this helmet would have been made for ceremonial use, although the protective steel plates on the three flaps are also found on armours meant for battle. The Qianlong Emperor was particularly obsessed with his military successes and in his old age referred to himself as Shiquan Laoren (‘The Old Man of the Ten Completed Great Campaigns’). Qianlong customarily wore helmets of this type together with elaborate matching armour on his great inspections of the military, as seen in the painting The Emperor Qianlong’s Review of the Grand Parade of Troops, included in the exhibition New Visions at the Ch’ing Court. Giuseppe Castiglione and Western-Style Trends, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2007, cat. no. 27, and recently sold in our New York rooms, 8th October 2008, lot 2101, where he is shown dressed in a ceremonial armour with a helmet, riding a horse. See also two famous paintings by the Jesuit artist, Giuseppe Castiglione, both depicting the Qianlong Emperor wearing a helmet of this type, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, the first illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Paintings by the Court Artists of the Qing Court, Hong Kong, 1996, pl. 29, and the second, included in the exhibition Forbidden City. Imperial Treasures from the Palace Museum, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, 2014, cat. no. 33.

Giuseppe Castiglione, The Qianlong Emperor in armor on horseback. Qing dynasty, Qianlong period, dated to 1739 or 1754. Courtesy of Palace Museum, Beijing.

Two helmets of this type, from the Qing Court collection and still in Beijing, are illustrated together with the complete imperial ceremonial armour in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Armaments and Military Provisions, Hong Kong, 2008, pls 56 and 57, together with two helmets also inlaid with pearls, pls 53 and 55, and one lacking the suspended beaded jewels, pl. 59; two in the Field Museum, Chicago, were included in the exhibition Splendors of China's Forbidden City. The Glorious Reign of Emperor Qianlong, The Field Museum, Chicago, 2004, cat. no. 133 and 134, the latter of which forms part of a blue-ground suit of ceremonial armour; another is held in the collection of the Musée de l'Armée, Paris, inventory no. G 749; and a further helmet, was sold in these rooms, 15th May 2013, lot 276.

Habit militaire de parade de l’empereur Qianlong (1736-1796) - Musée de l'Armée. © RMN/Grand Palais. Photo Emilie Cambier et Pascal Segrete.

Habit militaire de parade de l’empereur Qianlong (1736-1796) - Musée de l'Armée. 

An extremely rare imperial parcel-gilt iron helmet, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period (1736-1795). Sold 50,000 GBP at Sotheby's London, 15th May 2013, lot 276. Photo Sotheby's

thinly cast in iron in a dome shape, the exterior decorated in gilt with a frieze of Sanskrit characters written with raised beaded edges, interrupted by interlinked ferocious animal masks in low relief suspending beaded jewels, all between two bands of further Sanskrit characters, and evenly divided by two vertical flanges detailed with stylised parcel-gilt dragons, attached around the base with three flaps of silk cloth lined with steel plates, the front securing a lobed brim inlaid with further pairs of confronting dragons, surmounted by a tapered finial adorned inlaid with upright lappets once securing a tall finial (now missing), the iron surface oxidised to dark brown
base to cap height 25cm., 9 7/8 in.

Notes: A closely related example, but inlaid with pearls and the finial suspending strips of black fur, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated together with the complete imperial ceremonial armour in Qingdai gongting shenghuo, Hong Kong, 1985, pl. 115; another in the Musée de l'Armée, inventory no. G 749, and possibly the same robe worn by Qianlong in the painting by Giuseppe Castiglione (1688-1766), The Qianlong Emperor in Ceremonial Armour on Horseback, 1739 or 1758, was included in the exhibition China. The Three Emperors 1662-1795, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2005, cat. no. 65; and two in the Field Museum, Chicago, were included in the exhibition Splendors of China's Forbidden City. The Glorious Reign of Emperor Qianlong, The Field Museum, Chicago, 2004, cat. no. 133 and 134, the latter of which forms part of a blue-ground suit of ceremonial armour. Valery M. Garrett in Chinese Clothing. A Illustrated Guide, Oxford, 1994, p. 122, notes that ceremonial suits of armour were made in the Imperial workshops and stored at the Western Gate of the Forbidden City when not in use.

This helmet was made for ceremonial use rather than battle, however the side and neck, lined with protective metal plates are found also on battle armour. The Qianlong emperor customarily wore this helmet together with elaborate matching armour on his great inspections of the military. Unlike his grandfather, the Kangxi emperor (1662-1722), Qianlong never personally embarked on military conquests but the ceremonial armour retained traditions formed during Kangxi's reign such as the rows of Tibetan script on the helmet. This script, which reads xinzhou zunian Guanshiyin pusa ('uttering mantra to the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva'), originally may have had a protective function on the wearer and draws attention to the devotion of the Qing emperors to Tibetan Buddhism. 

It was the Kangxi Emperor, Qianlong’s grandfather, who first used helmets of this type inscribed in Tibetan script. The inscription, which reads xinzhou zunian Guanshiyin pusa (uttering mantra to the Avalokitesvara bodhisattva), may have originally had a protective function for the wearer and draws attention to the devotion of the Qing Emperors to Tibetan Buddhism. For a prototype of this piece, see the helmet worn by Kangxi in the painting Emperor Kangxi in Martial Attire, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the Museum’s exhibition Emperor Kangxi and the Sun King Louis IX, Taipei, 2011, cat. no. IB-2.

Kangxi in Martial Attire, Anonymous . Hanging scroll, colors on silk, Palace Museum, Beijing.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Londres, 09 nov. 2016, 11:30 AM