Shirt of Mail and Plate of Al-Ashraf Sayf ad-Din Qaitbay (ca. 1416/18–1496), 18th Burji Mamluk Sultan of Egypt

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Sultan Qaitbay (1416/18–1496) was one of the longest reigning Mamluk rulers of Egypt and a great patron of architecture. He is perhaps best remembered for building and renovating many mosques, shrines, citadels, and other monuments that still stand today in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria, and Israel. This armor, one of only four Mamluk examples known to survive, is unique for the elaborate gold-damascened ornamentation on the eighty-seven steel plates that protect its most vulnerable areas. In addition to panels enclosing Qaitbay’s name and titles, the plates are adorned with intricate scrolling foliage, running vines, and circular medallions enclosing six-pointed stars. The armor appears to have been seized by the Ottoman Turks following their conquest of Egypt in 1517, over twenty years after Qaitbay’s death, and was long kept as a trophy of war in the Ottoman arsenal in Istanbul.

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