Barāki - inv. 2116
Iran, early 16th century
Barāki (head armour for a horse)
early 16th century
steel
615 mm, 1012 g
1879 bequest Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli
Inv. 2116
Armory
It is one of the most important surviving examples of head armour for a horse from the Islamic East. The middle of the forehead is decorated with a lion, behind which rises a raying sun with a human face, features which clearly indicate its Persian origin. At the top of the armour appears the “tamga” (stamp) of the Ottoman arsenal, suggesting it may have been part of the plunder carried off by the Sultan Ottoman Selim I who defeated the Persians in 1514.


