Antique 15th -17th century Mamluke Or Turkish Ottoman Islamic Armour Bazuband

Very rare, antique arm guard, also known as vambrace, kolluk, or bazuband, from the 15th-century Mamluk or 17th-century Turkish Ottoman Islamic era. It is made of thick steel and hand-forged. The front panel of the arm guard has three concave flutings and is decorated with an arabesque pattern in the Koftgari technique, inlaid with yellow metal. There are two wrist splint plates that match the main panel. The edges of the arm guard have five small buckles for attaching leather straps.

MEASUREMENTS:

Overall length: 34 cm (13.4 inches).

Bazuband width (without two rectangular panels): 11 cm (4.3 inches).

Weight: 480 grams (1.06 lb.)

NOTE: The Mamluk Sultanate survived until 1517 when the Ottoman Empire conquered it. The Ottoman Sultan Selim I captured Cairo and all the arms and armor from the Cairo arsenal, and as the war booty, it was transferred to Constantinople (Istanbul).

Since the Mamluk arms and armor were known for their high quality throughout the Islamic world, these captured weapons and armor were used by the elite Ottoman cavalrymen (sipahi).

Furthermore, the Ottoman armorers made weapons and armor in Mamluk style until the middle of the 17th century.

Most of the Ottoman bazubands were made in the typical Indo-Persian style. The bazubands of this unique style, adorned with three concave flutings, are rare, and only a few have survived.

Unlike Indo-Persian bazubands, Mameluke-Turkish Ottoman bazubands are rarely seen in antique markets and museums.

PROVENANCE: Acquired from an old Canadian Collection of Islamic art, including Muslim arms and armor.

REFERENCES:

1. The only known Ottoman bazubands of this form are in the collection of the Badische Landesmuseum in Karlsruhe, Germany. They are published in the book "Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe. Die Karlsruher Türkenbeute" by Petrasch, E./Sänger, R. Zimmermann on page 91.

Please see the link below.

https://www.leo-bw.de/web/guest/detail/-/Detail/details/DOKUMENT/blm_museumsobjekte/AFC579D44F8B6BF8C1699E9728931702/R%C3%BCstung+Armschiene+mit+Handschutz

2. A pair of comparable Ottoman bazubands is in the collection of the Military History Institute in Prague (The Army Museum Žižkov) and is published in the catalog "Zbraně Orientu" (Weapons of Orient) by Ladislav Čepička on page 17, 18, 22 (No 5-6).

3. A pair of similar Ottoman bazubands was sold by Christie's "Art of the Islamic and Indian World" sale in London on April 8, 2008 (lot 181) for £23,300 ($46,181). This sale occurred over 14 years ago when prices were generally lower than they are today.

Please see the link below:

https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-505754

The buyer will be provided with a copy of the pages from the mentioned references and a certificate of authenticity.

Throughout my 50 years of experience in dealing with antique arms and armor, I have come across only seven bazubands of this specific type. One of them is in the collection of Badische Landesmuseum in Karlsruhe; a pair is listed in the Christie's catalog, the Military History Institute in Prague holds two, and the remaining two are in our possession. We had sold a similar one many years ago. To view this bazuband, please see the link below.

https://hamaassociation.wordpress.com/2020/08/16/armor-of-the-burji-dynasty-mamluk-elite/

Apart from these seven, we have not seen any other such bazuband in reference books, catalogs, or internet sources.