A VERY IMPORTANT AND EXTREMELY RARE COMPOSITE HORSE ARMOR

Composed of a chanfron (horse mask), armor composed of two elements, saddle (kura), abumi and saddle-pad.The mask in NERIKAWA (boiled leather), shaped as dragon's head with long eyebrows and mustaches, copper, gilded eyes with pupil lacquered in black, teeth painted in silver, the rest in gold, black and red, movable ears.The armor in two pieces, both composed of numerous, hexagonal, gold-lacquered, leather plates and sewn on a rose, linen fabric, with border sewn in bordeaux deer-leather; front part provided with scales patterned in fish-bone on the back. Orange rope making. Wooden, lacquered saddle (kura), front and back part in brown lacquer with golden mon, internal parts in red lacquer (parts of the lacquer missing), the small saddle cover in gray leather (later), original straps for abumi with remains of gilding, leather, lined panels under the saddle, painted with golden dragons on a green background, golden borders. The part below in linen. Rope, net saddle-pad on a blue, linen background, provided with three mon. Leather border with remains of gilding. Wooden abumi with iron borders, lacquered in brown with geometrical patterns, still visible. Internal part with remains of red lacquer.

Japan, Edo Period (1603-1867)
dimensions varie cm.
Conditions: good