Moro helmet

[Oliver Pinchot]

Terrific contributions, Fernando and estcrh.
I've been reading Kroeber and Krieger on arms production among the Muslim peoples of the Philippines. Both wrote in the first quarter of the 20th century and have distinct perspectives. Kreiger is far more in-depth and provides as much provenance as possible. Both he and Kroeber report that armor was less commonly used in conflicts of the latter 19th-early 20th century. This may suggest that the helmets and coats under discussion date decades earlier. In the process of examining the few helmets available to me, I am finding that there is a distinct difference in weight, which may bear upon their relative age. Forum members that are lucky enough to own Moro helmets, it would really help the direction of this research if you can post an image and weight.

[estcrh]

Originally Posted by Oliver Pinchot

Terrific contributions, Fernando and estcrh.
I've been reading Kroeber and Krieger on arms production among the Muslim peoples of the Philippines. Both wrote in the first quarter of the 20th century and have distinct perspectives. Kreiger is far more in-depth and provides as much provenance as possible. Both he and Kroeber report that armor was less commonly used in conflicts of the latter 19th-early 20th century. This may suggest that the helmets and coats under discussion date decades earlier. In the process of examining the few helmets available to me, I am finding that there is a distinct difference in weight, which may bear upon their relative age. Forum members that are lucky enough to own Moro helmets, it would really help the direction of this research if you can post an image and weight.

Oliver, glad to be able to add something to this interesting subject, I have added a couple more images to the Pinterest collection. I do know of one Moro helmet which is currently for sale, if you send me a pm I can give the owners info to you, they may be willing to give you a weight.

[Battara]

Here is another Moro helmet with armor context. It comes from a Czernys auction back in April 2, 2011:

[estcrh]

Originally Posted by Battara

Here is another Moro helmet with armor context. It comes from a Czernys auction back in April 2, 2011:

Check this out, I think it is the same one.

Portuguese or Spanish-Style Iron Helmet
The Philippines or Eastern Indonesia
17th-18th century

length: 40.5cm, height: 28cm, weight: 1,126g

Spanish or Portuguese-style morion helmets made locally in Asia are known artifacts but they are rare. All known examples seem to be of brass. But this
example is of iron, so is all the rarer.

It is unclear where in Asia such helmets were manufactured. Possibilities include the Philippines under the Spanish or perhaps Eastern Indonesia or Macau
under the Portuguese. They seem to have become prized trade, presentation and heirloom items among local rulers, particularly in Eastern Indonesia. The
Raja of Sikka on the island of Fores in Eastern Indonesia adopted one such helmet as part of regency's regalia and there are images of the Raja wearing his
regalia including the helmet. Flores had a long association with Portuguese settlers some of whom seem to have settled there in the wake of the fall of the
Portuguese enclave in Malacca in 1641. The royal family of Sikka had adopted the Portuguese name of da Silva as early as the sixteenth century. The family
continued in power until the 1950s (Hamilton, 1994, p. 149).

The splendid example here has a superb sculptural quality. The point of the helmet ends with a flowing twist away from the face of the wearer. The shape
might be drawn from that of a mango, and appears to be more of a localised feature than many extant examples that have a more conventional European form.

It has a wide brim, upturned and pointed at both ends. The brim is attached to the rest of the helmet by means of rivets all the way round the heads of which
are engraved with gadroons, and the bit where the brim and helmet join is hidden by a decorative rope-twist wire.

There is no gadrooning or decoration to the dome of the helmet - it is sheer and unadorned, reinforcing the helmet's overall sculptural beauty.

The helmet is in very fine condition without dents, cracks, holes or restoration. It is covered with a dark, encrusted patina.

References:
Hamilton, R. (ed.), Gift of the Cotton Maiden: Textiles of Flores and the Solor Islands, Fowler Museum of Cultural History, UCLA, 1994.
van Zonneveld, A., Traditional Weapons of the Indonesian Archipelago, C. Zwartenkot Art Books, 2001.

Provenance: private UK collection

http://www.michaelbackmanltd.com/1903.html

[kino]

Does anyone have dimensions of a Moro helmet for comparison.
I have this one and it's seems small, it make me wonder if it were made for a child or a small adult.
The inside dimensions are 8x7".
Thanks.

[Oliver Pinchot]

A very similar, though not as elaborate, example of the Type 2 type is pictured here, Albert.

http://www.auctionflex.com/showlot.a...enum=1&lang=En

The height is very close to yours.
I like the Chinese coin motifs on either side.

[kino]

Thank you , Oliver. It's slightly smaller than my Sulawesi helmet.

[estcrh]

Originally Posted by kino

Does anyone have dimensions of a Moro helmet for comparison.
I have this one and it's seems small, it make me wonder if it were made for a child or a small adult.
The inside dimensions are 8x7".
Thanks.

Originally Posted by Spunjer

btw, Kino, my helmet is about the same size as yours. i'm incline to say that what yours and mine are boys' helmets, considering the putong liner...

Kino, nice example and great photos as well.

I do not know if there is a difference in size between Philippine men during the period when these helmets were worn and modern Philippine men but I do visit the Philippines quite often and some Philippine men can be quite small. While it is possible, I just can not see these helmets being made for a child (who are even smaller).