A Very Rare Mamluk Helmet
Period Of Al-Ashraf Sayf ad-Din Qa'it Bay, Mamluk Sultan of Egypt from 872-901 A.H. Corresponding To 1468-1496 A.D.
Of steel, with cone-shaped skull made in one piece and rising to a separate faceted bud-shaped finial secured on the inside by a washer, and incised with the ottoman arsenal mark of St. Irene to the left of the nasal, the brim encircled by a brass border (incomplete) secured by small copper rivets and incised with diamonds against a wrigglework ground, a row of punched dots above, bluntly-pointed peak and outwardly curved neck-guard with borders en suite (ear-defences missing), the former secured by dome-headed copper rivets retaining traces of gilding, the latter articulated on brass links (one an old iron replacement) secured by iron staples, and adjustable bar-nasal with large ovoidal finial engraved 'The most honourable ruler Qaytbay, may his victory be glorious' in thuluth within line borders (some light pitting overall, the skull on one side with old internally patched repair)
31 cm. high
Footnotes
Literature:
Pinchot, p.158, fig.8-1
Other examples are in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (inv. no.36.25.116), the Hermitage (inv. nos.37 and 38, unpublished), the Musée du Louvre, the Furusiyya Art Foundation (Mohamed, pp.317-319, figs.304-306), the Khalili Collection (Alexander, pp.108-109, no.55), and the Stibbert Museum, Florence (Robinson, p.207, no.124, fig.13b)
The largest group of Mamluk arms and armour is to be found in the Topkapi Palace and in the Askari Museum in Istanbul, captured as booty from the Mamluks following their defeat by the Ottomans in 1516-17. The inscriptions on the Louvre helmet state that it was made for Sultan Barsbay (1422-1438) making it one of the earliest of the group to survive.
For another example, in fine condition and complete with its ear- and cheek-defences, see Sotheby's London, Arts of The Islamic World, 18 April 2007, lot 75 (£108,000 including premium)
Al-Ashraf Sayf ad-Din Qa'it Bay was the eighteenth Buriji Mamluk Sultan of Egypt. He was born between 1416 and 1418 in Great Circassia of the Caucasus. His skill in archery and horsemanship attracted the attention of a slave merchant who purchased him and brought him to Cairo when he was over twenty years of age. He was quickly purchased by the reigning Sultan Barsbay and became a member of the palace guard.
He was freed by Barsbay's successor, Jaqmaq, and appointed third executive secretary. During the reigns of Sayf ad-Din Inal, Khushqadam, and Yilbay he was further promoted through the Mamluk military hierarchy, eventually becoming taqaddimat alf, commander of a thousand Mamluks. Under the Sultan Timurbugha, Qaitbay was appointed atabak, or field marshal of the entire Mamluk army. During this period Qaitbay amassed a considerable personal fortune which would enable him to exercise substantial acts of beneficence as sultan. The reign of Timubugha lasted less than two months, as he was dethroned in a palace coup on 30 January 1468. Qaitbay was proposed as a compromise candidate acceptable to the various court factions. Despite some apparent reluctance, he was enthroned on 31 January.
Qaitbay's first major challenge was the insurrection of Shah Suwar, leader of a small Turkmen dynasty, the Dhu'l-Qadrids, in eastern Anatolia. A first expedition against the upstart was soundly defeated, and Suwar threatened to invade Syria. A second Mamluk army was sent in 1469 under the leadership of Azbak, but was likewise defeated and it was not until 1471 that a third expedition, this time commanded by Yashbak, succeeded in routing Suwar's army. In 1473, Suwar was captured and led back to Cairo, together with his brothers; the prisoners were drawn and quartered and their remains were hung from Bab Zuwayla.
Following the defeat of Suwar, Qaitbay set about purging his court and installing his own purchased Mamluks in all positions of power. He frequently went on excursions, ostentatiously leaving the citadel with limited guards to display his trust of his subordinates and of the populace. He traveled throughout his reign, visiting Alexandria, Damscus, and Aleppo, among other cities, and personally inspecting his many building projects. In 1472 he performed the Hajj to Mecca.
In 1485 Ottoman armies began to campaign on the Mamluk frontier, and an expedition was dispatched from Cairo to confront them. These Mamluk troops won a surprising victory in 1486 near Adana. A temporary truce ensued, but in 1487 the Ottomans reoccupied Adana, only to be defeated once more by a massive Mamluk army. As Turkish expansion in the western Mediterranean represented an increased threat to the Spanish Crown, the Spanish King Fernando made a temporary alliance with the Mamluks against the Ottomans from 1488 until 1491.
In 1491 a final truce was signed that would last through the remaining reigns of Qaitbay and the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid II. Qaitbay's ability to enforce a peace with the greatest military power in the Muslim world further enhanced his prestige at home and abroad.
In 1492 the plague returned to Cairo, and was reported to have claimed 200,000 lives. By 1494 Qaitbay's health was in decline and his court, now lacking a figure of central authority, was wracked by infighting, factionalism, and purges. He died on 8 August 1496 and was interred in the spectacular mausoleum attached to his mosque in Cairo's Northern Cemetery which he had built during his lifetime.
Today Qaitbay is best remembered for his wide-ranging architectural patronage. At least 230 monuments, either surviving or mentioned in contemporary sources, are associated with his reign. In Egypt, Qaitbay's buildings were to be found throughout Cairo, as well as in Alexandria and Rosetta. In Syria he sponsored projects in Aleppo and Damascus and was responsible for the construction of madrasas and fountains in Jerusalem and Gaza, which still stand - most notably the Fountains of Qayt Bay and al-Ashrafiyya Madrasa. On the Arabian peninsula, Qaitbay sponsored the restoration of mosques and the construction of madrasas, fountains and hostels in Mecca and Medina. After a serious fire struck the Mosque of the Prophet in Medina in 1481, the building, including the Tomb of the Prophet, was extensively renewed through Qaitbay's patronage
