FMNH 118344.A, .D, .E, .G, .H, .i

  • 118344: Chinese cavalry uniform
    (c) Field Museum of Natural History - CC BY-NC 4.0
    Description: Chinese cavalry uniform horseman's suit of armor steel, velvet, silk, gold. White sheet for background, Field Columbian Museum. Horseman's suit of armor, in vogue during K'ien-lung period (1736-1795). Complete with leggings and helmet. Lower garment is covered by four parallel rows of very thin, light and elastic steel laminae of rectangular shape, 9 cm long and 1 cm wide, rounded at upper end, perforated at both apex and base, sewed on to a foundation of cloth, lower ends being hidden in a fold, where they are riveted by means of studs with broad, gold-plated heads. They are not mutually joined, but one overlaps another to a slight degree. The upper garment steel plates are invisible, being inserted as an interlining (between the lining and the silk on the exterior) and fastened by means of rivets, so that their gilt heads appearing on the surface indicate the hiding-places of the plates. 1 Dragons, all together six, rising from the sea and standing erect, are embroidered with gold threads on the front and back of the coat, on the two separate shoulder-pieces, and on the two side-pieces underneath the arms. The casque, composed of two steel sheets and surmounted by a black velvet plume, has chased dragons in front, and is provided with silk protectors enveloping occiput, neck, ears, and chin.
  • 118344: Chinese cavalry uniform
    (c) Field Museum of Natural History - CC BY-NC 4.0
    Description: Chinese cavalry uniform horseman's suit of armor steel, velvet, silk, gold
  • Download file
    (c) Field Museum of Natural History - CC BY-NC 4.0
    Description: scan of catalog card
Catalog Number: 118344.A, .D, .E, .G, .H, .i
Description: coat-of-mail
Materials: metal; steel, velvet, silk, gold
Cultural Attribution: Han Chinese
Accession Number: [1114] Blackstone Chinese and Tibetan Expedition - 1908-1910 (Expedition)
Accession Year: 1910
City/Town: Xian - Singanfu
Collector/Source: Blackstone Chinese and Tibetan Expedition - 1908-1910, Berthold Laufer : Field Museum of Natural History
EMu IRN: 1353474
GUID: 109640d6-0c8c-4ac1-b27d-a8b23ffc2f13

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