Original Item: Only One Available. We've all seen the Indo-Persian KULAH KHUD spiked helmets of the 18th and 19th centuries. This design goes back to the times of the Crusaders and Saladin during the battles over the Holy Land in the 13th and 14th centuries. This is one of the oldest examples we have offered, dating to the late 18th Century.

Our example here comes from the Northern region of India, and is one of the oldest examples that we have seen. The main body is made from etched and chiseled steel covered in foliate / floral designs which are now very faded and faint. These and many of the other designs are highlighted with intricate gold inlay.

The front of the helmet has a sliding gold-inlaid nose guard with two feather plume holders on the helmet's front surface, one on each side of the nose guard. It also comes with a very pointy detachable 2 1/2" holder on the top, which was likely meant to hold another plume or perhaps a large spike. The rear of the helmet has the usual "aventail" chain mail rear neck defense, which is still well retained on both sides as well. For a helmet this old, it is very rare to find the chainmail so well-retained!

The interior shows that the leather lining is entirely absent. The nose guard has a small catch that can be undone by raising the guard, and this will lower the guard for use in battle. The catch still works great despite its age. 

This example comes with a lovely carved wooden stand with gold paint that is now heavily chipping and cracking, which complements the helmet very well and makes for an outstanding display opportunity. The helmet on the stand measures roughly 16 ¼” tall. 

Ready to become a centerpiece of your collection!

History of the Kulah Khud Helmet:

Kulah Khuds (known as top in India and Devil mask among English speaking arms collectors) were used in ancient western Asia for battle and as decorative head pieces. This style of helmet originated in Central Asia, and were worn by [Persian Empire] soldiers in the 18th and 19th Centuries. Made of steel, these bowl-shaped helmets were designed as either low and flat, or high and pointed. They sometimes contained a spike socket at the top of the helmet, which resembles a spearhead with a cross-like section. Two or three plume holders were attached on either side of the skull, used to mount feathers from birds such as the egret.

The helmet had an iron-and-brass or brass-and-copper male aventail that hung at the base of the helmet to protect the neck, shoulders and the temple of the face. Sometimes, the male aventail extended down to cover the eyes and the nose. The low end of the male aventail was often shaped in a triangular pattern so they stood relatively affixed on the front and back side of the warrior's shoulder.

A bar made of iron or steel was attached to the front of the helmet with a bracket and could be adjusted in position - so when not in use, it could slide upward and fasten with a link, a hook, or a set screw. The two ends of the bar expanded into leaf-shaped plates, forming a final. In some Indian tops, the lower end of the bar was designed as a large crescent-shaped metal guard that protected most of the face below the eye level. One rare version of the helmet included three irons protecting the nose and the cheeks