Section of early Turkish Ottoman Plate armour – Gorget with mail 15th or 16th century

 A rare section of early Ottoman Turkish armour. Generally known as a gorget, this section of iron plate with two upper arms plates attached with rivetted iron mail differs from the European or western gorget which protects the front part of the neck. This eastern variation would have been worn in conjunction with similar iron plates joined by mail, the front and back of the chest would have been protected by large circular plates generally know to collectors as ‘krug’ plates. Most of these armours were housed in the Imperial armoury at St Irene or Hagia Eirene, and many of the circular plates and helmets bear a small mark as a record of this storage. This section is in good condition for its age, the iron is very well crafted and contoured to fit the upper shoulders, the mail is all rivetted of the kind always found on authentic fighting armour. There are holes around the perimeters of the plates which would have been used to attach fabric linings, mail and straps, there are several copper studs/rivets still remaining in situ. This gorget is slightly unusual from the norm in that it features a second plate layer to the back. This armour dates to around the first siege of Vienna in 1529 and as such would have been worn by a soldier in the service of Suleiman the Magnificent, the Ottoman Sultan who dominated the political landscape at this time and brought his war to many countries in Europe and the Middle East. middle east