Early mirror armour -- myArmoury.com

Arek Przybylok · Posted: Tue 30 Nov, 2010 2:27 am Post subject: Early mirror armour

Looking for possible early mirror armor. Are there any armor, the iconography of the 14- early 15th century?

F. Carl Holz · Posted: Tue 30 Nov, 2010 5:16 am Post subject:

"mirror armor"?

perhaps just steel that has been polished to an extreme?... otherwise i have never heard of anything historical termed "mirror armor".

sorry,

-Carl

Craig Johnson · Industry Professional

Hi Arek

If you mean do we have evidence for highly polished armor? The answer is yes. It was not the average finish but there are quite a few depictions of armor creating highly recognizable reflections and details. This would have been a high status finish. The examples that leap to mind most quickly are noble and saintly depictions of armor.

Best
Craig

Johann M · Posted: Tue 30 Nov, 2010 6:52 am Post subject: Re: Early mirror armour

Matt Corbin · Posted: Tue 30 Nov, 2010 7:39 am Post subject:

Do you mean something like the new shadowshield?

http://www.theshadowshield.com/index.phtml

Nathan Robinson · myArmoury Admin

We have a Spotlight Topic on the subject:

Evidence of mirror polished armour

Arek Przybylok · Posted: Tue 30 Nov, 2010 9:12 am Post subject:

I thought of the eastern armor with four or six relatively flat panels. All of Eastern languages include this term (zbroja zwierciadlana, Зерцальный доспех, Shar-ayna).
Sorry for the lack of precision Happy

http://www.louvre.fr/llv/oeuvres/detail_notic...mLocale=en

Timo Nieminen · Posted: Tue 30 Nov, 2010 12:58 pm Post subject:

The earliest char aina or similar I know of off-hand is one in the Met dated to about 1600, and appearances in painting from about 1600 also. Robinson, "Oriental armour" has some sketches taken from an early 17th century Shahnama that might be char aina.

All of which are later than what you're after. The early end of Persian miniature painting will cover your period, but most of what I see of Persian miniatures is later, much later (Timurid or later).

And while one might conceivably call the Phillip II (of Macedon) armour a char aina, this is much earlier than your period.

Timo Nieminen · Posted: Tue 30 Nov, 2010 2:38 pm Post subject:

The relevant Wikipedia page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_armour) says that a Russian paper, ЗАЩИТНОЕ ВООРУЖЕНИЕ СРЕДНЕАЗИАТСКОГО ВОИНА ЭПОХИ ПОЗДНЕГО РЕДНЕВЕКОВЬЯ, available online, claims that there are possible char aina in 13th century Persian miniatures. Worn by Mongols, and I say "possible" because from the Wikipedia description, one plate is visible, and only 1 plate doesn't make 4 mirrors. Figure 5 in the paper shows some sketches of char aina, but later than your period. Armed with only the most rudimentary Russian, I haven't read the paper.

Philip Gr. · Posted: Thu 02 Dec, 2010 1:47 pm Post subject:

Hi,

Regarding the mongols:
Mongols used chest mirrors at least from the 13th century on. But these were very small, indeed only one, loose plate. Such chest mirrors might have a more spiritual than practical meaning. The chest mirror had the task to drive away evil spirits that were thought to be summoned by the shamans. Because these demons could not attack the shamans and other mongols (who wore chest mirrors) they were believed to harm the enemies.

I am not sure there is a connection between the chest mirrors and later mirror armors. But it is possible that the mongol chest mirrors, which were also worn over armor, later became bigger and transformed into the Persian Char-Aina.