Shaffron (Horse's Head Defense)
Unknown
late 15th–early 16th century · Steel · Arms and Armor
Like armored warriors, horses were usually protected by defenses of steel plate, leather, or reinforced textile. Fluted and engraved shaffrons like this were used throughout the Middle East, notably in Iran, Ottoman Turkey, and the Mamluk Empire in Egypt and Syria. This example is inscribed on the forehead “Help from Allah and a speedy victory,” a talismanic Qur'anic phrase (61:13) frequently found on armor.
- Artist
- Unknown
- Date
- late 15th–early 16th century
- Medium
- Steel
- Culture
- probably Iranian
- Department
- Arms and Armor
- Credit line
- Bequest of George C. Stone, 1935
