probably Ghaznavid
11th or 12th century AD
bronze, cast, with punched and engraved decoration
14 x 15.5cm
Stirrups originated among the horse-riding nomads of the Central and Inner Asian steppes well before the coming of Islam. The present type, with flat feet, rounded arches and a rectangular bracket for the stirrup strap, is to be associated with Afghanistan, or perhaps north India, in the Ghaznavid period.
J.M. Rogers, The Arts of Islam. Masterpieces from the Khalili Collection, London 2010, cat.212, p.181.