Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

B.I · 30th January 2005, 09:10 PM

hi,
jens sword has all the remnants of a mid to late 19thC piece. the style of the hilt and the decoration seem to confirm this. during this period, the decorative arts of india progressed into an 'exhibition' standard. the great exhibition of 1851 kick started this, to be followed on by the parisian exhibition and the many durbars back in india. it was during this time, that the artists were brought forward and their art was recognised. they left their marks like the more traditional artist, even signing their work (in rare circumstance). its strange as before this period, it was the bladesmith that took all the glory.
i wonder if it was the british that could take the credit for this, recognising the pure artistry of the time. most tend to think of the british as the raj, and forget the legacy they left in people like hendley, watt and going back to william jones and the asiatic society. these outstanding individuals all became heavily involved in the local arts, and in many cases became patrons and promoted them amongst the locals, as well as their fellow countrymen back home.
the dehli exhibition of 1903 (catalogued by watt) is a good example of this, as it gave these artists from all over india a chance to come forth and take a bow.
i believe jens sword to be of this period, and one where the artist is showing off his art to a captive public.
only jens can decide whether the knuckle guard is en suite. the scroll design (where the quillions should be) seems complete and you would think that one side would 'reach out' to incorporate a knuckle guard. however, i would be inclined to assume it was of the same period and not later. if the colour of gold and style of decoration match, i would think it right. i wouldnt be detered by the screw thread. this did exist, expecially in pieces of this period. i have seen pommels unsrew and in one case, hold a maker signature under the pommel disc (hidden from view). other exampes of screw thread appear commonly on axes and on sword canes, crutches, combination weapons etc.
jeffs missing knuckle guard could be for different reasons, all speculative. i do know one thing, that the knuckle guard itself, being a 'thin' protrusion is prone to 'metal fatigue' when it has been bent, then straightened a few times. this seems to the most obvious reason for its disappearance, although intentional removal can also be an option.
also, i hope the desription of a similar hilt in the polish book doesnt lead any people astray. the book itself is notoriously mis-described and i done believe this to be persian for a second. i suppose, for once, the term 'indo-persian' can be justified as it is indeed indian with a persian influence.

30th January 2005, 09:10 PM	#23
B.I Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 485	hi, jens sword has all the remnants of a mid to late 19thC piece. the style of the hilt and the decoration seem to confirm this. during this period, the decorative arts of india progressed into an 'exhibition' standard. the great exhibition of 1851 kick started this, to be followed on by the parisian exhibition and the many durbars back in india. it was during this time, that the artists were brought forward and their art was recognised. they left their marks like the more traditional artist, even signing their work (in rare circumstance). its strange as before this period, it was the bladesmith that took all the glory. i wonder if it was the british that could take the credit for this, recognising the pure artistry of the time. most tend to think of the british as the raj, and forget the legacy they left in people like hendley, watt and going back to william jones and the asiatic society. these outstanding individuals all became heavily involved in the local arts, and in many cases became patrons and promoted them amongst the locals, as well as their fellow countrymen back home. the dehli exhibition of 1903 (catalogued by watt) is a good example of this, as it gave these artists from all over india a chance to come forth and take a bow. i believe jens sword to be of this period, and one where the artist is showing off his art to a captive public. only jens can decide whether the knuckle guard is en suite. the scroll design (where the quillions should be) seems complete and you would think that one side would 'reach out' to incorporate a knuckle guard. however, i would be inclined to assume it was of the same period and not later. if the colour of gold and style of decoration match, i would think it right. i wouldnt be detered by the screw thread. this did exist, expecially in pieces of this period. i have seen pommels unsrew and in one case, hold a maker signature under the pommel disc (hidden from view). other exampes of screw thread appear commonly on axes and on sword canes, crutches, combination weapons etc. jeffs missing knuckle guard could be for different reasons, all speculative. i do know one thing, that the knuckle guard itself, being a 'thin' protrusion is prone to 'metal fatigue' when it has been bent, then straightened a few times. this seems to the most obvious reason for its disappearance, although intentional removal can also be an option. also, i hope the desription of a similar hilt in the polish book doesnt lead any people astray. the book itself is notoriously mis-described and i done believe this to be persian for a second. i suppose, for once, the term 'indo-persian' can be justified as it is indeed indian with a persian influence.