Rare and Unusual Hide Armguard armour China Tibet

 A very rare survival of hide armour, extremely unusual. Clearly a functional battle piece, this is made of immensely thick strong hide, decorated allover with embossed dots, adding to the protective qualities of the piece. The dot patterning is also interesting and well thought out, generally the decoration occurs in rows, near the wrist it becomes diagonal. The rawhide has been fitted so that it would have been sprung apart over the arm. Very old wear and minor loss to the cuff. Exact origin is uncertain as it is such an unusual piece but we would suggest this is from Tibet or China due to form and provenance, and is possibly very early in date 15th-19th century.