Iron belt with suspension loops inlaid with silver and gold wire designs including a circular longevity motif. The five iron plaques are attached through loops on the back of each and joined by a leather hide belt. One end of the belt features a buckle, the other a strip of leather for cinching the belt into position attached to the neighboring plaque by a ring. Worn over armor and used to suspend accessories by Tibetan infantry known as zimchongpa (gzim sbyong pa).  


26* x 1.08 x 0.36 in (66.04 x 2.8 x 1 cm)
Of the five sections, three of the larger iron plaques measure 6in each, the two smaller sections, one with buckle one with strap , 3in each.

*26in long, excluding the length of leather strap which goes through the buckle for fastening to waist, which measures an additional 9in.

Reference Images :

Armored Cavalryman 18th–19th century, Metropolitan Museum of Art. Accession Number: 36.25.25 …

Belt with Suspension Loops 18th–19th century Metropolitan Museum Accession Number: 1997.214.6

Period Black and white photograph of an armored soldiers parade in honor of the New Year, 1938. Ernest Shepherd. (1910–1992) Image Credit: By Bundesarchiv, Bild 135-S-14-13-14 / Schäfer, Ernst / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 de