Rare 17th C. Ottoman Chainmail or Maille shirt, with gilded collar

A quite rare example of a chainmail shirt in superb condition, completely of riveted links with a close weave. There are no losses to the shirt which has half length sleeves.

It has a very interesting gilded copper or brass collar which descends roughly one fifth of the way down the front and which clasps at the throat through a small cut out which locks to a pin. Underneath there is an iron hook for a further enclosure. When worn the collar has a single file appearance as it is designed such that the right line of plates goes underneath the left side of plates. The closest parallel we've been able to find to this form of plate and chainmail design is on an early Ottoman shirt in the Stibbert Collection with gilded iron plates forming an identical collar and going down the front of the shirt, but with more small square sized plates throughout.

This shortwould likely have been worn over a cloth undershirt to prevent chafing, like with most maille shirts.

We date this example to the late 17th C.- early 18th C. though it could be earlier, due to the quality of the chain, which displays a round head rivet found on Persian and Ottoman examples, and the approximate example in the Stibbert Collection.

The shirt measures 30 from collar to tail and is roughly 18 at the shoulders, though could expand due to the close chain weave.