Philippine Moro Suit of Armor with Helmet

A rare complete set of Philippine armor including a fully armored shirt mounted with silver decoration and a matching original morion form helmet cast in brass.

Spanish or Portuguese-style morion helmets made locally in Asia are known artifacts and quite rare.  This example is unusual because rather than being a locally made copy of such a helmet, the maker has added decorative element of pierced scrolling, Islamic-inspired work which decorates the helmet. The pierced scrollwork relates to that seen on utilitarian items cast in the Islamic part of the Southern Philippines, such as betel sets and tobacco boxes.

Locally-made morion helmets became prized trade and heirloom items among some 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 the 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 example here has a superb sculptural quality. Each end of the broad rim comes to a point that is slightly raised. The overall form is that of a rooster’s comb, dramatic and angular. The helmet has been cast as a single piece, save for a plume holder which has been soldered to one of the front lobes. 

The armor itself, original to the form and the helmet would have been worn along with the helmet by a Moro warrior in Mindanao.  While the cheaper, everyday Moro armour of the 19th century comprised conical caps and bark cloth or leather jackets, similar to the armouring solutions of Borneo and the Naga of north-east India and Myanmar (Burma), this metallic armour has strong similarities with mail-and-plates armour of the Middle East. This is the result of the extended presence of Muslim missionaries and traders in the Philippines since before the 14th century. During Spanish colonial rule (1565-1898), most areas of the Philippines converted to Christianity, but Mindanao Island, and the Moro in particular, remained faithful to Islam. Usually, Moro armours of this kind are all brass (as this example is) or a mixture of brass mail and horn plates, the horn being that of the Carabao, a Filipino subspecies of the Water Buffalo.

The Moro practised piracy and raiding, activities regarded as dangerous to the economic interests of the British Empire in the region, and the British suppressed them after a lengthy and bloody campaign during the 1840s.  As with most Islamic armours, it opens down the front like a shirt, making it easy to take on and off. It also has the added beautification of ornate swivelling hook-and-eye clasps, the scrollwork on which is of pre-Islamic Bornean design. Like other armours of mail and plates, the armourer's principal concern was achieving a balance between the flexibility and lightness of mail, and the stopping-power and weight of plate. What mail and plate armour allows is the prioritisation of some body areas for movement, and others for protection. So, what we see here are large plates for the protection of the heart and lungs and smaller plates near the shoulders to protect against downward cuts. There are also plates covering the thighs and groin although these are not shown. Meanwhile, the mail sections in the joints and less vulnerable areas allow for maximum movement and some breathability.

The armor also displays the rare original additions of tiger bells, often found on Bagobo swords in particular.

The armor in very good condition, with a few small losses to the plates and few rings.