Minneapolis Institute of Art

Helmet hammered as a turban snail

Ryōei 了栄

Date

late 17th century

Medium

Hammered out of a single sheet of patinated steel

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

The legendary smith Ryōei forged this helmet from a single piece of steel which he hammered into the shape of a turban snail, a symbol for protection and thus fortuitous for the bearer. Ryōei became popular during his lifetime for his simple and powerful works and the most remarkable ones were featured in the Illustrated Reference Book to Ryōei (Ryōei zukan), compiled by the military scholar Matsumiya Kanzan (1686–1780) in the mid-18th century. Kanzan showed 31 helmets of which eight have been found today and this extraordinary helmet is one of them. Japan, Asia

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