An Arab Chamfron in Scylitzes Chronicle?

[Druzhina]

A drawing of an Arab cavalry horse with chamfron in Scylitzes Chronicle appeared as fig. 609I in David Nicolle's 1982 PHD thesis: "The military technology of classical Islam"

It has appeared in subsequent publications and by other authors. It appears as follows in 'Horse Armour in the Medieval Islamic Middle East' by David Nicolle (2017):

Fig. 12. Fleeing Saracen, Skylitzes Chronicle, Siculo‑Byzantine, late 12th–early 13th century AD (Biblioteca Nacional, Cod/5‑3. N2, f.54v, Madrid).


The figure it is based on is

Folio 5v, 'Scylitzes Chronicle' – A battle between Byzantines and Arabs.

Although blue could be used to represent iron, this is a blue horse with a darker blue face (except for a blaze), dark blue mane, left fore-leg and lower right fore-leg.
There is no circular eye-hole, the eye is eye-shape.

Does this horse have a chamfron?

mirror site
Folio 5v, 'Scylitzes Chronicle' – A battle between Byzantines and Arabs.

Druzhina
Illustrations of Arab Costume & Soldiers

 

[Terco_Viejo]

I would say not in that image, it looks like part of the head's harness webbing and the colour simply suggests the animal's own colour as does the rest of the series.

 

[matmohair1]

I wonder if he was working with a black and white photo, or supplementing from another find

 

[Druzhina]

Perhaps a poor black and white photo in a book or an even earlier woodcut or someone else's sketch. In the 2017 article he states (para. 30): "A number of medieval Islamic and Middle Eastern Christian illustrated sources show such a chamfron (figures 12), though the early medieval Egyptian example can be disputed (figure 25)". Figure 25 is St. Pteleme (Ptolomeus), Egypt, 9th century-early 10th century, Pierpont Morgan Library MS. M.581. But he does not express any doubts about the Scylitzes image. He gives many separate examples so he is not supplementing from another find.

Druzhina
Coptic Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers

 

[Terco_Viejo]

Perhaps a poor black and white photo in a book or an even earlier woodcut or someone else's sketch. In the 2017 article he has states (para. 30): "A number of medieval Islamic and Middle Eastern Christian illustrated sources show such a chamfron (figures 12), though the early medieval Egyptian example can be disputed (figure 25)". Figure 25 is St. Pteleme (Ptolomeus), Egypt, 9th century-early 10th century, Pierpont Morgan Library MS. M.581. But he does not express any doubts about the Scylitzes image. He gives many separate examples so he is not supplementing from another find.

Druzhina
Coptic Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers

Certainly a very interesting piece.

One might think that the decaying process of the document has had a more severe effect with respect to the ink. However, the part of the head is so well defined (in spite of the deteriorated stain) that in this case it does look like the reinforced head element in question. The detail of the obvious opening in the eye is, undoubtly, quite significant.

Edit: The result of the inverted digital image is interesting. If we compare it with this one, we can see a difference in the depth of the eyes, simulating the facial mask.

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