Ethnographic Arms & Armour

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-   -   Small sickle. Bukhara, 19th century (http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=28589)

mahratt 12th February 2023 05:40 PM

Small sickle. Bukhara, 19th century
 
1 Attachment(s)
Small sickle (function unknown). Bukhara, 19th century
Short, curved, single-edged blade made of wootz steel, the back straight and then poly-lobed and inlaid with gold. Guard nielloed with a floral decoration continued on the silk of the handle flanked by two riveted walrus bone plates. Under the guard, metallic ring inlaid with blue glass paste. Length : 17,7 cm
Hello guys. Perhaps someone knows what this sickle could be used for?

fernando 12th February 2023 07:20 PM

I don't know what it is for ... but i know it is very, very nice :cool:.

mahratt 12th February 2023 07:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fernando (Post 278916)
I don't know what it is for ... but i know it is very, very nice :cool:.

Agree, very nice :)

Ian 13th February 2023 02:56 AM

Nice little knife and probably meant for a specific use. In SE Asia, nicely decorated knives of this size were often used for chopping betel nuts. Did folks in Buchara chew betel? Probably not, I'm guessing.

mahratt 13th February 2023 05:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ian (Post 278936)
Nice little knife and probably meant for a specific use. In SE Asia, nicely decorated knives of this size were often used for chopping betel nuts. Did folks in Buchara chew betel? Probably not, I'm guessing.

Hello, Ian.

As far as I know, betel was not chewed in Bukhara...

Ian 13th February 2023 06:37 AM

Thanks Mahratt. I would have been surprised if they did. :)

It was used to cut something small and of consistent size judging from the semi-circular stain in the mid-section of the blade's edge.

Tim Simmons 13th February 2023 06:46 AM

Could be a sugar knife. Tea sugar and bling.

Teisani 13th February 2023 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim Simmons (Post 278942)
Could be a sugar knife. Tea sugar and bling.

Wouldn't sugar be cut on a flat surface, hence the concave edge be counterproductive?

Sajen 13th February 2023 12:57 PM

Beautiful knife Mahratt! Something ceremonial? For cutting the umbilical cord? Or for harvesting something special? Only for thought-provoking impulses!

Regards,
Detlef

mahratt 13th February 2023 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sajen (Post 278947)
Beautiful knife Mahratt! Something ceremonial? For cutting the umbilical cord? Or for harvesting something special? Only for thought-provoking impulses!

Regards,
Detlef

Hello, Detlef

Great versions. I don't know what the function of this knife is. I myself am very interested. That's why I turned to the collective mind of the forum ;)

JBG163 13th February 2023 06:40 PM

I dont know why, but i am thinking of cutting flowers. The forward curved blade, the size of it...
But only a intuition here... no proof or anything

Richard G 13th February 2023 07:06 PM

Circumcision?
Regards
Richard

Interested Party 13th February 2023 07:52 PM

Seems like a rich man's tool. It is maybe analogous to a gentleman's silver budding knife, if not for the same purpose. Maybe for some sort of pruning? Was there a type of genteel plant husbandry there or vineyards? To me it does not appear designed for rigorous use.

Battara 14th February 2023 06:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard G (Post 278966)
Circumcision?
Regards
Richard

:eek:

Ian 14th February 2023 07:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard G (Post 278966)
Circumcision?
Regards
Richard

Richard, when I was going through Medical School we had this contraption called the "Little Trimmer." :eek: :eek: :eek:

milandro 14th February 2023 10:51 AM

I thought about circumcision tool but they tend to be (at least the Jewish ones) a little more resembling a razor and in other tradition they are just sharp knives . I am intrigued, in any case, by the function of the rounded tip with a point wouldn't be, strictly speaking , associated to that purpose. It seems to be more akin to indeed something like a betel nut knife, but they don't have betel nut there.

The tip has , I believe, the function to be inserted in some hard spot or to pull on something has as to remove back or something like that. Like a small billhook

fernando 14th February 2023 12:43 PM

May i ask you a question Dmitry. You are visibly sure that this knife is from Bukhara; did it come to you with no further info ?

fernando 14th February 2023 12:57 PM

Has already some of you guys commented on the handle being longer than the blade ? Interesting ... and noteworthy !

mahratt 14th February 2023 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fernando (Post 278984)
May i ask you a question Dmitry. You are visibly sure that this knife is from Bukhara; did it come to you with no further info ?

Fernando, unfortunately I could not buy this knife. Too expensive for me.
But since now I am seriously and deeply studying the armss and armor of the khanates of Central Asia, I am 200% sure that this small sickle is from Central Asia and, to be completely precise, it is undoubtedly from Bukhara (the decor of the sickle just "screams" about it)

fernando 14th February 2023 01:45 PM

I get it.

David R 14th February 2023 09:08 PM

Opium knife, for scoring the Poppy head to collect the sap? Or to chop up the raw Opium.

milandro 14th February 2023 09:22 PM

1 Attachment(s)
Quote:

Originally Posted by David R (Post 279002)
Opium knife, for scoring the Poppy head to collect the sap? Or to chop up the raw Opium.

a very good possibility, having looked around on the internet there are some similar ones (and many different ones too), so it may very well be, the shape definitely looks like it may have been devised to score something is some way which would be coherent with a circular motion.


The British museum has one (very much cruder though) which shows similarities


One thought though....this below is a very crude and utilitarian blade the OP is a very much fancier blade, now the average opium farmer doesn't strike me as though they could afford (or want, it is a messy business) a blade that fancy!:confused:

fernando 15th February 2023 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milandro (Post 279003)
... now the average opium farmer doesn't strike me as though they could afford (or want, it is a messy business) a blade that fancy!:confused:

I was going to say the same; no common farmer would go scoring poppy heads with such a high end piece.

kai 15th February 2023 12:26 PM

Yes, and it's way too long and heavy for such a job!

Regards,
Kai

kai 15th February 2023 12:30 PM

Hello Fernando,

Quote:

Has already some of you guys commented on the handle being longer than the blade ? Interesting ... and noteworthy !
IMHO, this makes sense for such a really small knife, especially if used for any heavy cutting.

It certainly looks like a strong grip was intended here!

Regards,
Kai

Richard G 15th February 2023 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ian (Post 278978)
Richard, when I was going through Medical School we had this contraption called the "Little Trimmer." :eek: :eek: :eek:

And if not circumsizing it can trim cigars!
Regards
Richard

ariel 15th February 2023 04:20 PM

It is something for a rich man doing a job not requiring noticeable physical effort.
Sharpening quill pens?

fernando 15th February 2023 04:28 PM

Wouldn't those be smaller tools ?

milandro 15th February 2023 04:44 PM

the thing is that this hawkbill knife may not have had a special function at all.

Most probably its quality of execution far out-performs function.

I don't think this had any ceremonial purpose and although grand, this was a simple utilitarian knife and , as suggested from its hawkbill shape, supposedly used in agricultural ( it is obviously meant to pry and or pull while cutting) context.

ariel 15th February 2023 06:07 PM

2 Attachment(s)
Quote:

Originally Posted by fernando (Post 279032)
Wouldn't those be smaller tools ?

Here are 2 images of quill sharpening. The size of the sharpeners is quite consistent with the example posted here: full size handles and small blades.

I could not find images of Oriental quill sharpening. But I kind of agree with Milandro: while generally knives were created with a specific function in mind but in real life could have been used for many functions.


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