The Hermitage collection of Oriental arms and armour is recognized as one of the largest not only in Russia but in the whole of Europe. Numerically, it totals over five thousand storage items of cold steel arms, firearms and defensive weapons, as well as horse harness fittings originating from the main arms manufacturing regions of the East – Turkey, Iran, India, Japan, China, Central Asia, the Caucasus and also some parts of North Africa. The collection spans a chronological period from the 15th to early 20th century.
The making of weapons has always been an area of common interest between the East and West. It should be noted that the Western world adopted the metal working methods of the East, and significant Eastern discoveries in this field were also made use of by the West. However, despite frequent military clashes and close trade relations, no fusion or convergence of the forms of eastern and western arms has ever occurred. This may have been caused not only by the differing production facilities and conditions, but also by the differing traditional views on the tasks and objectives of arms. While the primary concern of the Western armourer was to achieve his ultimate goal by improving the objects he made, his Eastern counterpart sought to create armours that afforded the warrior a maximum freedom of movement, since what really mattered was his mobility. This explained the absence in Oriental countries of a full suit of armour, a heavy sword, a spear and other pieces of arms common in Europe.
Another important factor underlying the difference between Oriental and Western arms consists in the Eastern devotion to their ancestral values, characteristic of all traditional societies. Their craftsmanship secrets were carefully preserved and passed down from generation to generation. In keeping with long-standing traditions of arms production and metalworking methods, the Oriental armourers honed their skills over many generations, striving to bring them to the level of perfection not always attainable for European smiths. Furthermore, by virtue of historical conservatism, until a certain moment (virtually up to the mid-19th century) the Oriental countries had no regular armies, which was an obstacle to the mass production of arms and enabled them to create matchless masterpieces of the armourer’s art.
The most characteristic feature of Oriental weapons, primarily of those made in Turkey, Iran and India, is the physical supremacy of their steel (Damascus or bulat), which has long since ranked second to none in the world armourer’s art. The structure of natural “Damascus” made it possible to make blades of particular durability and lightness, while their external appearance was distinguished by an original pattern and colour.
Besides metal, wood and leather, other materials, such as bone, jade and velvet, were used in the manufacture of scabbards and hilts. Sometimes hilts were wound with silver wire and scabbards were covered with shark skin.
Oriental armourers achieved equally great heights in artistic decoration. They made extensive use of precious and semi-precious stones, the diversity of incrustation, engraving, blackening and gilding techniques, etc. making their creations genuine masterpieces of the jeweller’s art. In matters of decoration, the masters were required to observe certain religious limitations. As we know, the Quran bans depicting human beings. On account of this, their decoration consisted of floral and geometric motifs; inscriptions were confined to quotations from the Quran, the master’s name or some magic symbols. This was particularly characteristic of Turkish and Iranian weapons.
