The shirt is constructed entirely of interlocking riveted links of iron and copper alloy, each stamped with the names of Allah and the five leading imams of the Shi’a (i.e. Muhammad, 'Ali, Fatima, Hasan, and Husayn), who are also collectively known as The Five (Panj tan) or the People of the Cloak (Ahl al-Kisa). These links are occasionally interspersed with links stamped with the talismanic invocation (translated): “There is no hero like ‘Ali and no sword like Dhu’l faqar.” These holy inscriptions ensured that the shirt provided the wearer with talismanic protection against peril.
For Anderson, the shirt remains a source of endless fascination and a happy reminder of the Friday evenings she spent at the Museum with her husband, Lou Reed. Join her in our Arms and Armor galleries as she contemplates the ways objects imprint on us and the charges they carry through time.
Featured Objects:
Mail Shirt with Inscribed Rings, 15th–16th century. Possibly Iranian. Iron mail, copper alloy mail. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Gift, 2016 (2016.2)
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