In that last picture, it looks like the scabbard is worn on a baldric/belt over the shoulder, with the scabbard thrust through the mail (to make it move less?), rather than some sort of suspension below the mail. Like a scabbard pocket, if you will.

I believe that's the guige for the shield on his back rather than a baldric.

Has there ever been found a maille shirt where the rings on the sleeves lay the same way as the body? There seems to be much evidence via sculptures and drawings for this, but no surviving pieces that I know of.

From the publication listed below from Erik Schmid's site there is a description of examined mail examples (Table I
Chain Mail Specimens Submitted)

Quote:

"36.25.476 Shirt of mail. Persian, 18th Century All riveted links (round wire)

If Persian mail could be all riveted how would anyone differentiate between European all riveted mail and all riveted Persian mail.

NOVEMBER 10, 1958 MEMORANDUM NO. 924
EXAMINATION OF MAIL ARMOR LINKS FROM THE
METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
J. R. Vilella

http://www.themailresearchsociety.erikds.com/pdf/tmrs_pdf_7.pdf

MET 36.25.476.
http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/27751

Mail Shirt
Date: 17th–19th century
Culture: Tibetan, possibly Bhutanese or Nepalese
Medium: Iron, leather, textile
Dimensions: Weight, 18 lb. 14 oz. (8561.6 g)
Classification: Mail
Credit Line: Bequest of George C. Stone, 1935
Accession Number: 36.25.476

Not a good enough set of photos to see any real details of the riveting.

Wow, I was just checking out the link on page 1 of this thread for the first time:
http://www.pinterest.com/samuraiantiques/european-mail-armor/

...and I am shocked at how much the modern flat ring riveted mail reproductions look like the 15th and 16th century originals! :surprised:

I was under the impression that no modern mail except for custom armor came anywhere close to what the originals looked like but boy, was I wrong. I'm not saying they're identical, but close enough to look very realistic.

Yes, at least some of the flat ring mass produced repros have gotten closer than it usually gets credit for though there are still details to improve of course.

I just wish the round riveted ones would get the same treatment, but I suspect from my own experience that the round rivet type mailles were and still are more work intensive to make and less easily adapted to modern methods of mass production.
I.e. I have to first press the rivet to stay in place, then drop forge the head and top to get the historical watershed "hill with cap" shape never seen on any mass marketed dome rivet mailles and very few of the custom ones.
This means we get these shortcuts where the riveting is double-headed or even looks like fish-hooks and the round rings are stamped too thin or too sharply at the overlap. The companies making these mailles aren't necessarily unaware of how it should really look but may not be able to figure out how to get that look and still have a product with a price they can sell at.

A few types of non European / Japanese mail armors that I can not find a detailed image of or any decent description.

Mongolian hauberk, 13th-14th century, National Museum of Mongolia.
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Chinese hauberk, similar the the Japanese style.
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Korean hauberk, Joseon Dynasty.
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Korean mail and plate shirt.
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Here is a form of Japanese mail not seen before, round links that appear to be wrapped with wire, a version of it is illustrated in a book by Japanese armor expert and author Dr. Sasama Yoshihiko "An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Japanese Arms and Armour". (#9), riveted mail is illustrated as well (#10) along with another unknown type of twisted link mail (#12).

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Apparently all you have to do to make an accurate mail replica is to use flat links and some kind of rivet.

Some more records to add. Many of the items listed as mail armour on their database are butted brass rings, some linked in groups. These may have had a function unrelated to armor. Much of the Roman and Iron age finds are too corroded to glean any information on construction. Some brass mail of flattened butted rings is believed to be late medieval or renaissance dating Most of what survives is copper-alloy which is not as susceptible to corrosion as iron.. More information and larger photos available for download at the link.

http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/551809
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http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/180265
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http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/145259
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http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/128815
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I recently said that I had not seen any verifiable all riveted Indo-Persian mail....and then I find this, it has an inward facing point which means that it is not European riveted mail and there are no solid links which is not normally found on Indo-Persian mail, the auction house that sold it (hermann-historica) stated in the description that it was "Composed of welded rings" but that is obviously not true.
http://www.hermann-historica.de/auktion/hhm63...at63_a.txt

Quote:

Ottoman zirah (mail shirt), detail view, 17th century, composed entirely of riveted rings with an inward facing point, elbow-length sleeves, front and back vents. Minor repairs with another type of riveted rings from the time of use. The back hem with cast arsenal mark of brass with Arabic characters. Length 80 cm.

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I think this mail is welded and riveted rings.

Julio