Elephant armour decoration

The Elephant Armour at the Royal Armouries is one of the Leeds museums star attractions and is truly a treasure of the collection. 

Now you can hang your very own treasure with this elephant armour decoration and add a bit of glamour to any Christmas tree or a perfect gift for any elephant lover.

All our elephant decorations are handmade, and the time taken to make each one is reflected in their unique quality. Measuring aproximatly 10cm x 7cm and covered in beads and sequins with silver effect thread. 

Collaboration

Working with St. Nicolas Heritage and Christmas Decoration Designers in colaboration on this decoration.

For over 25 years St. Nicholas have worked with a small Christian charity in Thailand that helps disadvantaged rural women find work in their community, rather than being forced to leave home to work in a factory. Today, some 200 skilled women work at home sewing decorations, and many of them have been doing so for more than 10 years. All our historical figure decorations are made in this way as well as numerous other designs.

St. Nicolas is proud to be a member of BAFTS (British Association of Fair Trade Suppliers) and supports the 10 Principles of Fair Trade, as set out by the World Fair Trade Organisation. 

Elephant Armour 

The elephant armour (bargustavan-i-pil) dates back to around 1600 and was brought from India by Lady Clive, wife of Edward, 2nd Lord Clive (Governor of Madras), to England in 1801. It is said to be the largest animal armor found on display in any museum. Now-endangered, Asian elephants were first used on the battlefield in India, and famously in the 326 BC Battle of the Hydaspes between Alexander the Great and India’s King Porus in modern-day Pakistan.

There were many military purposes for which elephants could be used. In battle, war elephants were usually deployed in the centre of the line, where they could be useful to prevent a charge or to conduct one of their own. Their sheer size and their terrifying appearance made them valued heavy cavalry. Off the battlefield, they could carry heavy materiel and provided a useful means of transport before mechanized vehicles rendered them mostly obsolete.