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A MUGHAL SHAMSHIR SWORD

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:NA Estimated At:3,500.00 - 4,000.00 USD
A MUGHAL SHAMSHIR  SWORD
Auctions Imperial is pleased to announce our 2013 sale, to be held March 16 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Timonium, Maryland. Over 300 lots of choice antique arms and armor including armor, helmets, shields, swords, daggers, battleaxes, maces, halberds, matchlocks, flintlocks and percussion pieces will be offered. Our fine selection for 2013 includes broadswords, baskethilts, shamshirs, shashkas, palas, kindjals, khanjars, tulwars and spears, as well as chain mail and breastplates. This sale will also include important swords and daggers from the Greek War of Independence and the armor of the K...
An example of rare quality, the iron Delhi-form hilt with knucklebow elaborately inlaid with gilt flowering vines, the toggle intact. The broad, deeply-curved, single-edged blade of classic form, forged of fine highly-contrasted black wootz damascus steel, with original finish throughout. The treatment at the right forte, found on a small but fine group of blades forged in Egypt and Syria between the 15th –late 17th century, indicate that that their superior quality was known even in Mughal India. These elements include the bifurcate “clubbed” chiseled panel, with the chiseled inscription YA ALLAH!, and the large circular cartouche, reading TAJ e FANAA (Throne of Destruction,) flanked by two smaller inscriptions reading, YA HANNAH! (O Compassionate One!) and YA MANNAN! (O Benevolent One!) Mid 17th century. Gold lightly rubbed. For similar examples and further discussion of these rare blades, see B. Mohamed, The Arts of the Muslim Knight, Milan: Skira, 2008, p. 59-61. Overall length 91.5 cm.
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