The chhatri or umbrella

Jens Nordlunde · 2nd February 2019, 09:22 PM

Hi Mytribalworld,
Have you found out something about the eye since last - about ten years!
I think it is interesting, as several peoples have used the eye, so it is/was known world wide. But the meaning could have been quite different. It is, none the less, very interesting.
I do hope you will write again, as your findings will be very interesting to us.

As to the umbrella. I have two, one is very elegant inlaid in gold, and the other one is quite crude. My judgement is that the first one is from the Mughal time, and the other one is from the time after Aurangzeb, as it is quite crude and not gold inlaid. It seems as if after Aurangzeb, the parolsol was used by anyone who would like to be pompous, but not royal.

Jim McDougall · 2nd February 2019, 10:57 PM

Amazing! Jens, thank you for bringing back this thread!!!!
What a perfect background for the questions at hand of late and now we can use this background to add to! Thank you so much

ariel · 3rd February 2019, 04:20 AM

Elgood dedicated quite a lot of space to the ch’hatris in his Jodhpur book. Interestingly, he describes quite a lot of them as incorrect, implying their spurious nature.

My guess that just as with the cartouches with Shah Abbas’ name and signatures of Assadullah there was a brisk production and trade in fake ch’hatris. People are only human, and are ready to forge anything ( banknotes, passports, paintings etc) for a profit. Risks be damned!

Jens Nordlunde · 3rd February 2019, 02:00 PM

Here are two examples.
One while the umbrella still was royal - in gold on a katar, and the other one on a tulwar.

rand · 3rd February 2019, 02:53 PM

The umbrella applied with a cross hatching technique, either a gold wire or a gold sheet appliqué. The dots and triangular marks appear to be a form of punch inlay.

The umbrella gold overlay looks fairly thick, and in some places it seems to follow the wootz pattern. Is that true?

rand

Jens Nordlunde · 3rd February 2019, 03:16 PM

Hi Rand,
Nice to hear from you:-).
The layer of gold is quite thick, but I am not sure I understand what you mean when you write, 'it seems to follow the wootz pattern'.
Catalogue pp. 145-146.
The other one is catalogue pp. 331-333.

rand · 4th February 2019, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jens Nordlunde

Hi Rand,
Nice to hear from you:-).
The layer of gold is quite thick, but I am not sure I understand what you mean when you write, 'it seems to follow the wootz pattern'.
Catalogue pp. 145-146.
The other one is catalogue pp. 331-333.

Hey Jens,

When you look at the wootz pattern of the blade, you see dark and light (black & silver) colors and lines. The black lines being similar to the cartography of a map showing the different levels of elevation. On the golden umbrella, you can also see darker lines that are mostly vertical. On the top right of the umbrella, there are some that are at and angle. Compare the dark lines of the blade to the dark lines of the umbrella. What is most obvious is the slanting top right lines that lines up perfectly on the gold and steel areas.

The camera collects data, that is light reflecting off the surface of the katars blade. My theory: In this example, there are slight variences in the wootz surface height from etching. And that when reflected off the gold surface, then give darker and lighter shades of gold, because of varying angled degrees of light bouncing back to the camera .

If this is true, it adds another dimension to wootz steel. This is where an opinion from a metallurgist that has study'd wootz would help.

"The human brain starts working the moment you are born and never stops until you stand up to speak in public."

George Jessel

rand

3rd February 2019, 02:00 PM	#4
Jens Nordlunde Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Europe Posts: 2,718	Here are two examples. One while the umbrella still was royal - in gold on a katar, and the other one on a tulwar. Attached Images

3rd February 2019, 02:53 PM	#5
rand Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Virginia Posts: 539	Katar Cross hatching & inlay The umbrella applied with a cross hatching technique, either a gold wire or a gold sheet appliqué. The dots and triangular marks appear to be a form of punch inlay. The umbrella gold overlay looks fairly thick, and in some places it seems to follow the wootz pattern. Is that true? rand

2nd February 2019, 09:22 PM	#1
Jens Nordlunde Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Europe Posts: 2,718	Hi Mytribalworld, Have you found out something about the eye since last - about ten years! I think it is interesting, as several peoples have used the eye, so it is/was known world wide. But the meaning could have been quite different. It is, none the less, very interesting. I do hope you will write again, as your findings will be very interesting to us. As to the umbrella. I have two, one is very elegant inlaid in gold, and the other one is quite crude. My judgement is that the first one is from the Mughal time, and the other one is from the time after Aurangzeb, as it is quite crude and not gold inlaid. It seems as if after Aurangzeb, the parolsol was used by anyone who would like to be pompous, but not royal.

2nd February 2019, 10:57 PM	#2
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,189	Amazing! Jens, thank you for bringing back this thread!!!! What a perfect background for the questions at hand of late and now we can use this background to add to! Thank you so much

3rd February 2019, 04:20 AM	#3
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	Elgood dedicated quite a lot of space to the ch’hatris in his Jodhpur book. Interestingly, he describes quite a lot of them as incorrect, implying their spurious nature. My guess that just as with the cartouches with Shah Abbas’ name and signatures of Assadullah there was a brisk production and trade in fake ch’hatris. People are only human, and are ready to forge anything ( banknotes, passports, paintings etc) for a profit. Risks be damned!

3rd February 2019, 03:16 PM	#6
Jens Nordlunde Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Europe Posts: 2,718	Hi Rand, Nice to hear from you:-). The layer of gold is quite thick, but I am not sure I understand what you mean when you write, 'it seems to follow the wootz pattern'. Catalogue pp. 145-146. The other one is catalogue pp. 331-333.