Help requested on Islamic? inscriptions on a heavy axe

RSWORD · 13th June 2009, 04:24 AM

I will "stick my neck" out and say that it is most probably Persian and you might want to have a close look to see if the steel is wootz. The bird imagery looked familiar to me and I was looking through "Persian Steel, The Tanavoli Collection" by James Allen and Brian Gilmour and ran across very similar imagery on a chiseled scabbard mount. On p. 222, they state "The image of a bird of prey attacking a water bird is found on 18th century Iranian saddle-axes. A.S. Melikian-Chirvani suggests that the depiction is of a hawk attacking a heron, and that it is an allegory of royal triumph." I don't know if this particular imagery carried over into India but I have also seen the bird of prey attacking a water bird chiseled at the forte of some khanjar which typically are Persian.

Lee · 14th June 2009, 03:45 PM

Thanks for your courage in extending your neck, Rsword, and for the insight into the images of the birds. Unfortunately, I have been relying on a friend's copy of Persian Steel, so I will suffer a delay before I can follow-up on that, though your suggestion did lead me to find a hawk attacking a heron on a saddle axe in figure 335 / plate 354 of Arms and Armor from Iran with some discussion on this theme on pp 265-266.

I do not see any trace that the steel is wootz.

Jeff Pringle · 14th June 2009, 07:02 PM

I agree with RSword on the origin, the style of the carving and the way the chisels were used look very Persian to me – except for the ancillary scrollwork coming off the main cartouche, which has a strong European(?) influence.
Here is a Safavid piece with similar composition & technique, an illustration from the V & A’s “Islamic Metalwork from the Iranian World. 8-18th centuries”

Lee · 14th June 2009, 09:08 PM

Thanks, Jeff. Below is a snapshot of the example in the museum's case. The inscription is different, but it also shares a lot with the inscription in the upper view in the pictures above. The brass inlay and overall design are most similar, including the 'ancillary scrollwork.' Also, a hawk and heron may be discerned over the socket. Both axes are similarly quite dull. I like the more robust cap over the end of the haft on theirs and the expanding geometry of the hammer-head better on the museum's example.

I promise a wider view of the museum display and their attribution soon...

Jeff Pringle · 15th June 2009, 07:33 AM

Looks like you are keeping your axe in better shape than the museum, Lee!

The question mark behind the European is because the first thing I free-associated with the scroll work on the axe was the engraving on an antique British shotgun I recently saw; but then I remembered Belgian and German examples as well; it was (and still is) a popular way to style engraved gun embellishments in Britain, Europe and America. I’ve noticed a few Indian scrolls that are decorated similarly, but the Indian scrolls are usually rendered more naturalistically, they look more ‘plant-like.’
Here is a good example of the variable line weight & other elements that make a scroll look Persian in my eyes:

Lee · 15th June 2009, 01:43 PM

Hi Jeff, thanks for the additional insight into the scrollwork.

Seeing the axes 'live' gives much more of an impression that both axe heads are in very much the same state of preservation and condition and that they likely have shared a common history. I photographed the one I have under natural light on an ideal overcast day and the example in the museum was an oblique flash snapshot through glass that underwent quite a bit more fotofibbing in order to bring up the details. The nature and condition of the wooden hafts is also remarkably similar, except that the museum's example is much straighter, if I recall correctly.

The axe is in the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto on the 3rd floor Middle-East gallery, being held by an armoured figure, as shown below:

Lee · 15th June 2009, 01:58 PM

The labeling attributes the figure and components as 'Ottoman 15th - 16th century'.

The accession number for the axe is 924.55.44; if I interpret the pattern correctly this implies it was acquired in 1924. Unfortunately, in my excitement, I did not record the numbers of the other parts of this presumably composite assemblage. There was a mark on the chest armour which, I believe, was that associated with the old Ottoman arsenal at St. Irene in Istanbul...

14th June 2009, 07:02 PM	#3
Jeff Pringle Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 189	I agree with RSword on the origin, the style of the carving and the way the chisels were used look very Persian to me – except for the ancillary scrollwork coming off the main cartouche, which has a strong European(?) influence. Here is a Safavid piece with similar composition & technique, an illustration from the V & A’s “Islamic Metalwork from the Iranian World. 8-18th centuries” Attached Images

14th June 2009, 09:08 PM	#4
Lee EAAF Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Upstate New York, USA Posts: 953	Hmmm... Islamic with a touch of European influence Thanks, Jeff. Below is a snapshot of the example in the museum's case. The inscription is different, but it also shares a lot with the inscription in the upper view in the pictures above. The brass inlay and overall design are most similar, including the 'ancillary scrollwork.' Also, a hawk and heron may be discerned over the socket. Both axes are similarly quite dull. I like the more robust cap over the end of the haft on theirs and the expanding geometry of the hammer-head better on the museum's example. I promise a wider view of the museum display and their attribution soon... Attached Images

15th June 2009, 07:33 AM	#5
Jeff Pringle Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 189	Looks like you are keeping your axe in better shape than the museum, Lee! The question mark behind the European is because the first thing I free-associated with the scroll work on the axe was the engraving on an antique British shotgun I recently saw; but then I remembered Belgian and German examples as well; it was (and still is) a popular way to style engraved gun embellishments in Britain, Europe and America. I’ve noticed a few Indian scrolls that are decorated similarly, but the Indian scrolls are usually rendered more naturalistically, they look more ‘plant-like.’ Here is a good example of the variable line weight & other elements that make a scroll look Persian in my eyes: Attached Images

15th June 2009, 01:43 PM	#6
Lee EAAF Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Upstate New York, USA Posts: 953	Would you believe Ottoman? Hi Jeff, thanks for the additional insight into the scrollwork. Seeing the axes 'live' gives much more of an impression that both axe heads are in very much the same state of preservation and condition and that they likely have shared a common history. I photographed the one I have under natural light on an ideal overcast day and the example in the museum was an oblique flash snapshot through glass that underwent quite a bit more fotofibbing in order to bring up the details. The nature and condition of the wooden hafts is also remarkably similar, except that the museum's example is much straighter, if I recall correctly. The axe is in the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto on the 3rd floor Middle-East gallery, being held by an armoured figure, as shown below: Attached Images

15th June 2009, 01:58 PM	#7
Lee EAAF Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Upstate New York, USA Posts: 953	Yes, Ottoman. The labeling attributes the figure and components as 'Ottoman 15th - 16th century'. The accession number for the axe is 924.55.44; if I interpret the pattern correctly this implies it was acquired in 1924. Unfortunately, in my excitement, I did not record the numbers of the other parts of this presumably composite assemblage. There was a mark on the chest armour which, I believe, was that associated with the old Ottoman arsenal at St. Irene in Istanbul...

13th June 2009, 04:24 AM	#1
RSWORD Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Greensboro, NC Posts: 1,089	I will "stick my neck" out and say that it is most probably Persian and you might want to have a close look to see if the steel is wootz. The bird imagery looked familiar to me and I was looking through "Persian Steel, The Tanavoli Collection" by James Allen and Brian Gilmour and ran across very similar imagery on a chiseled scabbard mount. On p. 222, they state "The image of a bird of prey attacking a water bird is found on 18th century Iranian saddle-axes. A.S. Melikian-Chirvani suggests that the depiction is of a hawk attacking a heron, and that it is an allegory of royal triumph." I don't know if this particular imagery carried over into India but I have also seen the bird of prey attacking a water bird chiseled at the forte of some khanjar which typically are Persian.

14th June 2009, 03:45 PM	#2
Lee EAAF Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Upstate New York, USA Posts: 953	Thanks for your courage in extending your neck, Rsword, and for the insight into the images of the birds. Unfortunately, I have been relying on a friend's copy of Persian Steel, so I will suffer a delay before I can follow-up on that, though your suggestion did lead me to find a hawk attacking a heron on a saddle axe in figure 335 / plate 354 of Arms and Armor from Iran with some discussion on this theme on pp 265-266. I do not see any trace that the steel is wootz.