Armor for the Torso and Hips

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This armor is one of only two early examples of this type known to exist. Its distinctive form and construction are unique to Yunnan province in southwestern China. It is made of rigid leather panels coated with layers of red and black lacquer and joined together by leather laces. The layered lacquer technique, tixi (marbled) or ticai (carved colors), was well known in China from the fourteenth or fifteenth century onward. Scientific testing establishes the armor’s date to the time of the Dali Kingdom, an independent state that ruled the region before it was renamed Yunnan and incorporated into China during the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368). The armor, therefore, is extremely important as one of the earliest and most complete examples of this technique and for being identifiable as lacquerwork from the Dali Kingdom or the Yunnan area.

Arms and Armor

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The principal goals of the Arms and Armor Department are to collect, preserve, research, publish, and exhibit distinguished examples representing the art of the armorer, swordsmith, and gunmaker. Arms and armor have been a vital part of virtually all cultures for thousands of years, pivotal not only in conquest and defense, but also in court pageantry and ceremonial events. Throughout time the best armor and weapons have represented the highest artistic and technical capabilities of the society and period in which they were made, forming a unique aspect of both art history and material culture.

Metropolitan Museum of Art