A STEEL CHAIN MAIL WITH BROCADED GREEN VELVET COLLAR AND RED COTTON LINING
Possibly Punjab Hills, Northern India, 19th century

A typical Indian and Sikh steel chain mail, differentiating itself from Persian and Islamic models for the absence of the central rectangular plaques usually located in the chest area, the collar enhanced by a padded lining of brocaded green velvet, worked with rosettes and vegetal sprays, and backed in white and red cotton, to the lower right corner a coin-sized marker with the Punjabi numerals '101', on the left corner another coin-sized marker with the Punjabi numerals '02', 78.5cm x 107cm (full width of the arms).