The flowers on the tulwar hilts

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 21st January 2017, 05:27 PM

I suggest that since this excellent thread is nowhere near complete that it be given the traditional Forum Bump ! bringing it into focus for further research and comments.

In particular the mystic nature of this hilt artwork and its importance across the entire range of Indian weapons. In fact I would have preferred its tittle to have been all encompassing perhaps netting in the entire conundrum as Talismanic and Mystical Artwork of Indian Weapons; down the ages, or Indian Bladed Weapons; Mystical and Talismanic artwork. Or something similar so that the subject can have a full airing.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 21st January 2017, 06:04 PM

As an example of the apparent depth of the puzzle surrounding Daro Shikoh I refer here to the odd situation of his portrait portfolio at http://www.academia.edu/7202804/The_...interpretation

Quote''Most of the paintings can be fitted into a preconceived scheme, although the precise purpose of the flower paintings is not yet quite clear. The significant numbers of religious figures and both Hindu and Muslim ascetics of various persuasions obviously reflect Dara Shikoh’s early interest in religion and philosophy. Two Hindu yogis who form a pair by themselves are of earlier date than the rest of the album and these paintings have been enlarged to fit in. This is the only instance of paired ascetics in the album.

The prince we know from his writings was interested in Hindu philosophy from his youth, although he did not write about it until the late 1640s. He also studied the Hindu philosophical system of the Vedanta and produced a Persian translation of the Sanskrit Upanishads, while one of his later books compares the two mystical philosophies of the Vedanta and Sufism ''Unquote.

Although the reference draws a secondary conclusion based on the artwork it may be important to note that he was very much a believer in the Mystic aspects of life then...and it is worth looking at the floral clues on weaponry for a link. On the other hand it could turn out as a general statement that Daro Shikoh whilst fascinated by the arts, that this was entirely co incidental and that sword hilts..and possibly other weapons were simply painted to a set of known designs and that no such mystic based link prevailed.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 21st January 2017, 06:32 PM

Please see; http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/p...talismans.html

I have selected this North Indian design as it struck me that its circular pattern was reminiscent of the large disc atop Tulvar Pommels ..It is typically in Indian script and follows the geometry of such weapons ...whilst conveniently it is part of a treatise on Talismanic detail.

Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 21st January 2017, 07:44 PM

Please see; http://mini-site.louvre.fr/trois-emp...rustations.php

The following article which perhaps could have included the description Floral Artwork is entitled;

Quote"[B]Hardstones, gems and ivory in Mughal India.[/B]

Hardstone marquetry is a long-standing local tradition. The refined technique of inlay, which the Persian and Mughal chroniclers refer to as parchîn kârî, and which was brought to an almost unbelievable peak of excellence by the imperial stoneworkers during the reign of Shah Jahan, consisted of setting in marble or sandstone thin sections of hard or semi-hard stones that had been cut with the greatest of care and fashioned in the shape of tendrils and floral arabesques. The Frenchman François Bernier , who lived in India between 1656 and 1668, describes the mausoleum built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (1628-1658) for his wife Mumtâz Mahal, in a letter dated 1663 to Monsieur de La Mothe Le Vayer: he speaks with great enthusiasm of the mausoleum’s perfect architecture and of its opulent interior decoration, floral motifs in white marble inlaid with jade, jasper and other sorts of precious stones.

The hardstones used in the decoration of the Taj Mahal, as well as in palaces and imperial buildings all over India and in the surrounding regions, included yellow amber from Burma, lapis-lazuli from Afghanistan, nephrite from Chinese Turkestan, and carnelian, agate, amethyst, jasper, green beryl, chalcedony, onyx and coral from the different regions of the huge Indian sub-continent.

At the Mughal court precious and semi-precious stones were also used to highlight imperial tableware, writing desks, mirrors, huqqa, weapons, royal saddles and even gold and silver gem-studded thrones. Rock-crystal and jade, hardstones which could only be worked with diamond dust, were particularly appreciated at the Mughal court. Objects fashioned in the second half of the seventeenth century by Mughal ateliers or karkhâna from jade – or to be more precise from the nephrite and jadeite imported from Kashgar and from Khotan – such as boxes and pen boxes, huqqa stands and mouthpieces, dagger hilts and archer’s thumb rings, bowls and cups, are particularly remarkable for their delicate inlays of precious stones, predominantly emeralds, diamonds, rubies and spinels, set in gold and forming stylized floral motifs.

Jade was thought to contain talismanic virtues such as the power of prolonging life – and indeed even that of ensuring immortality; it was also considered to favor success on the battlefield – hence its name of “stone of victory”. It was therefore considered the most appropriate material for the manufacture of ornate arms symbolizing victory. The hilts of these ornate weapons which were only used for ceremonial purposes were often carved in the shape of the head of a horse, a ram, an antelope, a lion or a falcon, always with a quite remarkable and moving expressivity. This repertoire of animal motifs is known to have existed as early as the second half of the reign of Jahangir, and became particularly important under the emperor Shah Jahan.

Ivory carving was an important craft in ancient India. It was to be equally appreciated at the Mughal court, where it was used in the making and ornamentation of chests and caskets, as well as dagger hilts, flasks and powder horns. The latter were given a lively, zoomorphic décor, in which different birds and animals were intermingled – elephants, lions, monkeys, buffaloes, rams, antelopes and hares, as well as composite and imaginary animals. Hunt scenes predominate in these exuberant animal scenes, derived from the iconographic repertoire of Mughal miniatures. Similar scenes also appear in the décor of late sixteenth and early seventeenth century Mughal carpets. Some of the ivory powder horns were clearly gilded and embellished with colors, and the eyes of the animals were occasionally encrusted with amber and precious or semi-precious stones.

The floral and plant motifs predominate in the decorative repertoire of Mughal India. The combination of the naturalistic yet subtly stylized treatment of Mughal flowers, together with their balanced and symmetrical arrangement, is emblematic of Mughal taste in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when the floral motif became a leitmotiv that permeated all the arts of the court (textiles and decorative arts, arts of the book) and even architecture. This fascination with the floral motif can be traced back to the reign of the Emperor Jahangir. It originated during a journey made by Jahangir in 1620 to Kashmir, a country where the emperor was enchanted by the variety and profusion of the flowers which grew there, and which he was subsequently wont to describe as “a garden where spring reigns eternally”. During this trip the monarch was accompanied by one of the great masters of the imperial atelier of painting, the animal painter Ustâd Mansûr Nâdir al’Asr, who, at the request of the sovereign, executed more than a hundred flower studies, of which only three precious examples still survive.

This poetic delight in the exuberant blossoming flowers of Kashmir was reinforced by the discovery of European herbals brought to the Mughal court by Jesuit missionaries and agents of the East India Company.

The herbals were to exert considerable influence on Mughal flower painting, on the precision with which they were drawn, on the extreme care taken with the representation of botanical details, and on the presence of butterflies and dragonflies fluttering above the corollas and leaves, which Mughal artists, who were familiar with Persian works, often replaced with small meandrous-shaped Chinese clouds (t’chi), which were considered in China to be the vehicles of the gods, and which became a decorative motif in Persian art. As so pertinently noted by M. L. Swietochowski, the regular arrangement of flowers and bouquets in the margins of Mughal miniatures is reminiscent of the ornamentation of a number of Books of Hours from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, and perhaps even more so of the borders of Flemish engravings on religious subjects".Unquote

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 21st January 2017, 09:02 PM

Here is an interesting sword! Of particular interest is the floral decoration which may be relevant to the thread..

Do these floral designs have a Talismanic/ secret meaning?

Please see http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1...-shikoh-sword/

Quote"The very fine watered steel blade of this sword is inscribed on the back of the blade with a Persian inscription inlaid in gold stating that it belonged to the Mughal prince Dara Shokuh (1615-1659), the son and preferred successor of the emperor Shah Jahan (r. 1628-1658). The verses may be translated as: 'This sword (tigh) of the princed called Dara Shokuh/Takes care of a thousand enemies at one go'. When Shah Jahan fell ill in 1658, another son, Aurangzeb, usurped the throne, had Dara Shokuh killed during a fierce war of succession and declared himself emperor with the title 'Alamgir.

The blade is also inlaid on one side with a gold parasol signifying its royal ownership. The sword must have been made in a court workshop, perhaps in Lahore which was a traditional centre of weapons production. A date is stamped on one side of the blade near a forte. The third digit is indistinct, but is probably '5', making the date 1050 AH, or 1640-41".Unquote.

Jim McDougall · 22nd January 2017, 03:00 AM

This is really an interesting topic, and as Jens has asked, to research more on the flowers on tulwar hilts. Naturally, the floral designs extend to daggers and sheaths as well.
As I noted in my earlier posts, an interesting article is by Stephan Markel, "Use of Flora and Fauna Imagery in Mughal Decorative Arts" ('Marg', Vol.50, #3, Mar. 1999, pp.25-35).
He notes; "...throughout the Mughal period there were several basic uses of flora and fauna imagery in the decorative arts. First and foremost was adornment for both solely decorative and/or dynastic identifying purposes.
Along with jewellery, dagger and sword hilts, sheath and scabbards were the most prolific court object to be accented with floral imagery". (p.27)

Also noted is that by the end of the Mughal period in the mid 19th c. the dynastic emblem of flowering plants had paled into a repetitive motif less aesthetic than the elegant flowers of the 17th c.

It seems there are considerable 'floral lore' assessments of the symbolism of certain flowers in various religions, which vary in degree but in religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism, the seems one of the most significant.

In Islam, there is a great deal of aesthetic attention to arrangement of floral and botanicals as the focus on replicating the Gardens of Paradise and their beauty is a key theme. Meanwhile, it does seem that the use of codified representations of certain flowers were dynastic representations.

It would be interesting to discover more on which flowers were indicative of which dynasty and how they were portrayed in various regions or periods.
There is mention of 'Mughalization' of Hindu forms of flower in some cases.

It seems less likely for talismanic application in most cases, as most of what is described seems to refer to aesthetic floral themes in favored arrangements and certain codification probably aligned with dynastic favor of those themes.

In the case of the interior of the pommel discs, it seems these motif may be themed after certain solar or celestial subjects, but can be floral as well.
I am curious if these follow the theme of the hilt or can differ.

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 22nd January 2017, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

This is really an interesting topic, and as Jens has asked, to research more on the flowers on tulwar hilts. Naturally, the floral designs extend to daggers and sheaths as well.
As I noted in my earlier posts, an interesting article is by Stephan Markel, "Use of Flora and Fauna Imagery in Mughal Decorative Arts" ('Marg', Vol.50, #3, Mar. 1999, pp.25-35).
He notes; "...throughout the Mughal period there were several basic uses of flora and fauna imagery in the decorative arts. First and foremost was adornment for both solely decorative and/or dynastic identifying purposes.
Along with jewellery, dagger and sword hilts, sheath and scabbards were the most prolific court object to be accented with floral imagery". (p.27)

Also noted is that by the end of the Mughal period in the mid 19th c. the dynastic emblem of flowering plants had paled into a repetitive motif less aesthetic than the elegant flowers of the 17th c.

It seems there are considerable 'floral lore' assessments of the symbolism of certain flowers in various religions, which vary in degree but in religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism, the seems one of the most significant.

In Islam, there is a great deal of aesthetic attention to arrangement of floral and botanicals as the focus on replicating the Gardens of Paradise and their beauty is a key theme. Meanwhile, it does seem that the use of codified representations of certain flowers were dynastic representations.

It would be interesting to discover more on which flowers were indicative of which dynasty and how they were portrayed in various regions or periods.
There is mention of 'Mughalization' of Hindu forms of flower in some cases.

It seems less likely for talismanic application in most cases, as most of what is described seems to refer to aesthetic floral themes in favored arrangements and certain codification probably aligned with dynastic favor of those themes.

In the case of the interior of the pommel discs, it seems these motif may be themed after certain solar or celestial subjects, but can be floral as well.
I am curious if these follow the theme of the hilt or can differ.

Hello Jim, Your detailed post is well accepted and hopefully the Talismanic values of the floral artwork can be realized. The fact that the sword of Dara Shikoh can reveal something interesting in that regard could be interesting... though in fact what he was trying to do ... and the main reason that Aurangezeb was able to have him executed was tied up to the Mystic situation and where Dara Shikoh attempting to link Islam with Hinduism. That in itself may yield the answers we seek. In other words; Is that what floral decoration was meant to secretly represent? I realize that this is somewhat hypothetical but it may be what everyone is missing.

Did his detractors miss the point in gold painting out any written references (Artistic impression in Islam to them meant the written word and pure geometry only) whilst not seeing the artwork as important?...Perhaps representing to Dara Shikoh the joining of two great religions. Is this possibly what the smokescreen of floral design came to represent?

If he had somehow survived it can be imagined how different history would have been.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

21st January 2017, 05:27 PM	#1
Ibrahiim al Balooshi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE Posts: 4,408	Dara Shikoh ... A Mystic in his own right.. Artistic Influence. I suggest that since this excellent thread is nowhere near complete that it be given the traditional Forum Bump ! bringing it into focus for further research and comments. In particular the mystic nature of this hilt artwork and its importance across the entire range of Indian weapons. In fact I would have preferred its tittle to have been all encompassing perhaps netting in the entire conundrum as Talismanic and Mystical Artwork of Indian Weapons; down the ages, or Indian Bladed Weapons; Mystical and Talismanic artwork. Or something similar so that the subject can have a full airing. Regards, Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

21st January 2017, 07:44 PM	#4
Ibrahiim al Balooshi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE Posts: 4,408	TALISMANIC FLORAL DECORATION ON INDIAN WEAPONS. Please see; http://mini-site.louvre.fr/trois-emp...rustations.php The following article which perhaps could have included the description Floral Artwork is entitled; Quote"[B]Hardstones, gems and ivory in Mughal India.[/B] Hardstone marquetry is a long-standing local tradition. The refined technique of inlay, which the Persian and Mughal chroniclers refer to as parchîn kârî, and which was brought to an almost unbelievable peak of excellence by the imperial stoneworkers during the reign of Shah Jahan, consisted of setting in marble or sandstone thin sections of hard or semi-hard stones that had been cut with the greatest of care and fashioned in the shape of tendrils and floral arabesques. The Frenchman François Bernier , who lived in India between 1656 and 1668, describes the mausoleum built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (1628-1658) for his wife Mumtâz Mahal, in a letter dated 1663 to Monsieur de La Mothe Le Vayer: he speaks with great enthusiasm of the mausoleum’s perfect architecture and of its opulent interior decoration, floral motifs in white marble inlaid with jade, jasper and other sorts of precious stones. The hardstones used in the decoration of the Taj Mahal, as well as in palaces and imperial buildings all over India and in the surrounding regions, included yellow amber from Burma, lapis-lazuli from Afghanistan, nephrite from Chinese Turkestan, and carnelian, agate, amethyst, jasper, green beryl, chalcedony, onyx and coral from the different regions of the huge Indian sub-continent. At the Mughal court precious and semi-precious stones were also used to highlight imperial tableware, writing desks, mirrors, huqqa, weapons, royal saddles and even gold and silver gem-studded thrones. Rock-crystal and jade, hardstones which could only be worked with diamond dust, were particularly appreciated at the Mughal court. Objects fashioned in the second half of the seventeenth century by Mughal ateliers or karkhâna from jade – or to be more precise from the nephrite and jadeite imported from Kashgar and from Khotan – such as boxes and pen boxes, huqqa stands and mouthpieces, dagger hilts and archer’s thumb rings, bowls and cups, are particularly remarkable for their delicate inlays of precious stones, predominantly emeralds, diamonds, rubies and spinels, set in gold and forming stylized floral motifs. Jade was thought to contain talismanic virtues such as the power of prolonging life – and indeed even that of ensuring immortality; it was also considered to favor success on the battlefield – hence its name of “stone of victory”. It was therefore considered the most appropriate material for the manufacture of ornate arms symbolizing victory. The hilts of these ornate weapons which were only used for ceremonial purposes were often carved in the shape of the head of a horse, a ram, an antelope, a lion or a falcon, always with a quite remarkable and moving expressivity. This repertoire of animal motifs is known to have existed as early as the second half of the reign of Jahangir, and became particularly important under the emperor Shah Jahan. Ivory carving was an important craft in ancient India. It was to be equally appreciated at the Mughal court, where it was used in the making and ornamentation of chests and caskets, as well as dagger hilts, flasks and powder horns. The latter were given a lively, zoomorphic décor, in which different birds and animals were intermingled – elephants, lions, monkeys, buffaloes, rams, antelopes and hares, as well as composite and imaginary animals. Hunt scenes predominate in these exuberant animal scenes, derived from the iconographic repertoire of Mughal miniatures. Similar scenes also appear in the décor of late sixteenth and early seventeenth century Mughal carpets. Some of the ivory powder horns were clearly gilded and embellished with colors, and the eyes of the animals were occasionally encrusted with amber and precious or semi-precious stones. The floral and plant motifs predominate in the decorative repertoire of Mughal India. The combination of the naturalistic yet subtly stylized treatment of Mughal flowers, together with their balanced and symmetrical arrangement, is emblematic of Mughal taste in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when the floral motif became a leitmotiv that permeated all the arts of the court (textiles and decorative arts, arts of the book) and even architecture. This fascination with the floral motif can be traced back to the reign of the Emperor Jahangir. It originated during a journey made by Jahangir in 1620 to Kashmir, a country where the emperor was enchanted by the variety and profusion of the flowers which grew there, and which he was subsequently wont to describe as “a garden where spring reigns eternally”. During this trip the monarch was accompanied by one of the great masters of the imperial atelier of painting, the animal painter Ustâd Mansûr Nâdir al’Asr, who, at the request of the sovereign, executed more than a hundred flower studies, of which only three precious examples still survive. This poetic delight in the exuberant blossoming flowers of Kashmir was reinforced by the discovery of European herbals brought to the Mughal court by Jesuit missionaries and agents of the East India Company. The herbals were to exert considerable influence on Mughal flower painting, on the precision with which they were drawn, on the extreme care taken with the representation of botanical details, and on the presence of butterflies and dragonflies fluttering above the corollas and leaves, which Mughal artists, who were familiar with Persian works, often replaced with small meandrous-shaped Chinese clouds (t’chi), which were considered in China to be the vehicles of the gods, and which became a decorative motif in Persian art. As so pertinently noted by M. L. Swietochowski, the regular arrangement of flowers and bouquets in the margins of Mughal miniatures is reminiscent of the ornamentation of a number of Books of Hours from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, and perhaps even more so of the borders of Flemish engravings on religious subjects".Unquote Last edited by Ibrahiim al Balooshi; 21st January 2017 at 07:54 PM.

21st January 2017, 09:02 PM	#5
Ibrahiim al Balooshi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE Posts: 4,408	Here is an interesting sword! Of particular interest is the floral decoration which may be relevant to the thread.. Do these floral designs have a Talismanic/ secret meaning? Please see http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1...-shikoh-sword/ Quote"The very fine watered steel blade of this sword is inscribed on the back of the blade with a Persian inscription inlaid in gold stating that it belonged to the Mughal prince Dara Shokuh (1615-1659), the son and preferred successor of the emperor Shah Jahan (r. 1628-1658). The verses may be translated as: 'This sword (tigh) of the princed called Dara Shokuh/Takes care of a thousand enemies at one go'. When Shah Jahan fell ill in 1658, another son, Aurangzeb, usurped the throne, had Dara Shokuh killed during a fierce war of succession and declared himself emperor with the title 'Alamgir. The blade is also inlaid on one side with a gold parasol signifying its royal ownership. The sword must have been made in a court workshop, perhaps in Lahore which was a traditional centre of weapons production. A date is stamped on one side of the blade near a forte. The third digit is indistinct, but is probably '5', making the date 1050 AH, or 1640-41".Unquote. Attached Images

21st January 2017, 06:04 PM	#2
Ibrahiim al Balooshi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE Posts: 4,408	As an example of the apparent depth of the puzzle surrounding Daro Shikoh I refer here to the odd situation of his portrait portfolio at http://www.academia.edu/7202804/The_...interpretation Quote''Most of the paintings can be fitted into a preconceived scheme, although the precise purpose of the flower paintings is not yet quite clear. The significant numbers of religious figures and both Hindu and Muslim ascetics of various persuasions obviously reflect Dara Shikoh’s early interest in religion and philosophy. Two Hindu yogis who form a pair by themselves are of earlier date than the rest of the album and these paintings have been enlarged to fit in. This is the only instance of paired ascetics in the album. The prince we know from his writings was interested in Hindu philosophy from his youth, although he did not write about it until the late 1640s. He also studied the Hindu philosophical system of the Vedanta and produced a Persian translation of the Sanskrit Upanishads, while one of his later books compares the two mystical philosophies of the Vedanta and Sufism ''Unquote. Although the reference draws a secondary conclusion based on the artwork it may be important to note that he was very much a believer in the Mystic aspects of life then...and it is worth looking at the floral clues on weaponry for a link. On the other hand it could turn out as a general statement that Daro Shikoh whilst fascinated by the arts, that this was entirely co incidental and that sword hilts..and possibly other weapons were simply painted to a set of known designs and that no such mystic based link prevailed. Regards, Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

21st January 2017, 06:32 PM	#3
Ibrahiim al Balooshi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE Posts: 4,408	Please see; http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/p...talismans.html I have selected this North Indian design as it struck me that its circular pattern was reminiscent of the large disc atop Tulvar Pommels ..It is typically in Indian script and follows the geometry of such weapons ...whilst conveniently it is part of a treatise on Talismanic detail. Ibrahiim al Balooshi. Attached Images Last edited by Ibrahiim al Balooshi; 21st January 2017 at 08:05 PM. Reason: correction

22nd January 2017, 03:00 AM	#6
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,189	This is really an interesting topic, and as Jens has asked, to research more on the flowers on tulwar hilts. Naturally, the floral designs extend to daggers and sheaths as well. As I noted in my earlier posts, an interesting article is by Stephan Markel, "Use of Flora and Fauna Imagery in Mughal Decorative Arts" ('Marg', Vol.50, #3, Mar. 1999, pp.25-35). He notes; "...throughout the Mughal period there were several basic uses of flora and fauna imagery in the decorative arts. First and foremost was adornment for both solely decorative and/or dynastic identifying purposes. Along with jewellery, dagger and sword hilts, sheath and scabbards were the most prolific court object to be accented with floral imagery". (p.27) Also noted is that by the end of the Mughal period in the mid 19th c. the dynastic emblem of flowering plants had paled into a repetitive motif less aesthetic than the elegant flowers of the 17th c. It seems there are considerable 'floral lore' assessments of the symbolism of certain flowers in various religions, which vary in degree but in religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism, the seems one of the most significant. In Islam, there is a great deal of aesthetic attention to arrangement of floral and botanicals as the focus on replicating the Gardens of Paradise and their beauty is a key theme. Meanwhile, it does seem that the use of codified representations of certain flowers were dynastic representations. It would be interesting to discover more on which flowers were indicative of which dynasty and how they were portrayed in various regions or periods. There is mention of 'Mughalization' of Hindu forms of flower in some cases. It seems less likely for talismanic application in most cases, as most of what is described seems to refer to aesthetic floral themes in favored arrangements and certain codification probably aligned with dynastic favor of those themes. In the case of the interior of the pommel discs, it seems these motif may be themed after certain solar or celestial subjects, but can be floral as well. I am curious if these follow the theme of the hilt or can differ.