Original Item: One Only. Bhutan is a small independent country located in the foothills of the Himalayas, it is close, but does not border Nepal. It does however border Tibet on its Northern Border. It was home to a savage race of Mountain Tribesmen of mixed Sino/Indian decent and long enjoyed a mystical reputation.
This steel “Bowl? appears hand forged with one indistinct fold. It is surmounted with a decorative finial, resembling the Tibetan plume holder, this finial over 2” in height is secured to the helmet bowl by three primitive rivets in a circular plate. Over time this plate has released pressure on the finial so it rotates in it’s own mounting. Interestingly the steel helmet has a very small bronze/brass peak presumably denoting the front of the helmet. The bowl retains no trace of it’s lining, however there are a series of very small holes running around the perimeter presumably for this purpose.
According to the advice we received from the Arms & Armor Department of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, this helmet is extremely old, almost certainly 17th century, but may be even earlier. It’s design follows that of the Saracens used during the Crusades. This was the only example we found, together with a few Tibetan paneled helmets in the old Palace of Lagan Silekhana in Katmandu Nepal in 2003.