AJ1356,
Dr James Burnes was an elder brother of Alexander Burnes. He was certainly active in Bombay about this time and may well have visited Scinde, He is most famous (?) for being a prominent Freemason and founding the first lodge open to non-europeans in Bombay in 1843.
In my opinion this is an old blade valued by the Talpeers and inscribed on their instruction around 1843, and three reasons spring to mind:-
1, They had geniune respect for his brother Alexander.
2, It could have been diplomatically advantageous to keep a British official "onside" in 1842/3.
3, the Masonic connection.
It seems unlikely that they would have presented a blade only, but the mounts and scabbard fittings are definitely English from around this time, in the style of a British mameluke hilted General Officers sword (pattern 1831) which also became a popular pattern for diplomatic dress etc.
I think this sword, despite it's lack of scabbard, could fetch significant money (in my terms, anyway) on the London art market and is certainly worth further investigation, e.g. is there an important Peruvian connection?
Regards
Richard
PS, You know, looking back at the pictures, I'm not so sure the hilt and fittings are English:-
1, the scabbard fittings look like Bombay or Kutch work if you ignore the armorial,
2, the overall curve of the hilt is not what you would expect from an English maker,
3, the langets look a bit thin and the hilt seems to be seated in a a black lac.
Intriguing?
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