Bidspirit auction | AN INDO-PERSIAN KHULA KHUD HELMET

AN INDO-PERSIAN KHULA KHUD HELMET WITH ARABIC INSCRIPTIONS, 19TH CENTURY - A forged steel hemispherical helmet, the lower edge engraved with a continuous band of Arabic calligraphy in thuluth-style script, the letters filled with a dense fish-scale lattice. The inscriptions consist of a mixture of pious invocations and decorative pseudo-script typical of Qajar and Northern Indian Islamic armour. Legible inscriptions: يَا عَلِيّ Ya ʿAli (”O Ali!”, an invocation of ʿAli ibn Abi Talib, protector and source of strength.), نَصْرٌ مِنَ اللهِ Nasrun min Allāh (”Victory is from God.”), اَلْمُلْكُ لِلّٰهِ Al-mulk lillāh (”Sovereignty belongs to God.”), يَا صَاحِبَ الزَّمَان (partially visible on one cartouche) Ya Ṣāḥib az-Zamān (”O Lord of the Age!” / ”O Master of the Time!” a Shi’a devotional formula invoking divine protection.) Several of the oval and rectangular calligraphic panels incorporate ornamental thuluth-style shapes that imitate Arabic but do not form coherent words. This was a standard decorative practice in Iranian and Indian armour workshops of the 18th–19th centuries, used to create the visual authority of sacred text while maintaining aesthetic symmetry. Please make all inquiries before bidding. All lots are sold ”as-is”, refer to our T&C. Helios Auctions offers in-house shipping. In case we can not accommodate a shipping request, a list of additional shippers will be provided. Dimensions: H: 24 in., (60 cm.) Condition: Good overall with a nice patina. The bracket of the nasal bar is slightly loose but still secure. Some chain links missing or detached but the vast majority are present. The point of the spike has been slightly turned over.