Maranao brass corselet (kurab-a-kulang) (1800s): Art, History and Details

Maranao brass corselet (kurab-a-kulang) (1800s) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

This corselet—armor worn to protect the torso—has broad, flaring shoulders, a circular neckline, and a skirt-like extension that protected the wearer’s upper thighs. Armor of this type was worn in the Philippines following colonization by Spain. Its brass plates are connected by interlinked rings. The decorative toggles on the front take the form of stylized flowers, typical of the Maranao people native to Lake Lanao on the island of Mindanao.

Object facts

• Title: Maranao brass corselet (kurab-a-kulang)
• Date: 1800s
• Culture: Philippines, Mindanao, Lake Lanao, Bacolod
• Type: Arms and Armor
• Technique: Brass plates and chain mail
• Dimensions: Average: 80.6 cm (31 3/4 in.)
• Collection: Oceanic Art
• Department: Oceania
• Accession number: 1916.904.1

Collection credit

Gift of Mrs. Francis F. Prentiss

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.