I am seeking information on the original construction of a mid-18th Century Indian Mughal chain mail shirt before beginning treatment of the textile collar. (Two pictures are attached.)
The description of the shirt is as follows. The chain mail consists of butt ending links of brass and iron in a jamuganga pattern (zigzag) with larger links around the neckline that are very corroded. There are also additional details in chain mail around the neckline forming a sort of ‘capelet’ hanging over the back and shoulders. The collar is a padded stand-up collar with open plackets at centre front. It is green velvet with brass studs on the exterior, brocade on the inside and filled with batting. In its current state, which is not original, the mail is irregularly basted to the collar around the neck with the corroded chains folding over on the interior. One side of the placket has the mail sewn over the inside brocade while the other side appears to have the chain sandwiched between the exterior and the interior layers. It looks like additional chains have been added in these areas as they do not match the rest of the shirt exactly.
The particular concern is how the collar was originally attached to the mail. The appearance of an alteration and the larger corroded links around the neckline may indicate that it was once sandwiched in the collar. Other Mughal chain mail shirts I have looked at are constructed in another way where the edge row of mail links are looped into the lower edge of the collar and the join is reinforced with stitching. I am interested to hear if anyone can verify either construction method.
Amanda Harding
Textile Conservation Intern