Qajar period ? Axe with lion head hammer

francantolin · 27th December 2021, 06:10 PM

Hello and Merry Christmas Everyone !!!

I just got this axe head blade ,
it was sold as a large ethnic pendant decoration...

I cleaned it and I'll post the pictures soon,
( my gmail box is full and capricious , I took off a lot of pictures but for the moment it's over... )

do you think it's more persian or indian ? 19th century ?

can it be earlier ??

Looks like many Qajar axe blades but seems of good quality,
the engravings are really well chiseled ,
not like the acid etched drawings we often see.

mariusgmioc · 27th December 2021, 06:36 PM

Beautiful axe!
To me, it looks indeed like a 19th century Qajar axe. The style of decorations also look more Persian than Mughal to me.
The only unusual part for me is the hammer side that doesn't look like anything I have seen so far.

francantolin · 27th December 2021, 08:36 PM

Hello,
Thank you Marius for your reply !!!

Here a first picture ''without rust''
after a 24 hours bath in a famous dark coloured sparkling drink...
the second with a light sanding 800 grain,
I think the ''princess and the rabbits feel better like that

there were inlays but almost nothing now...

francantolin · 27th December 2021, 08:40 PM

''the hammer'' has gold remains,

I wonder if it's really a lion...

francantolin · 27th December 2021, 08:42 PM

Maybe a good etching on the blade can reveal a pattern...

ariel · 4th January 2022, 02:49 AM

I am wondering whether it might be ceremonial/parade rather than war axe.
The fighting ones had blades very thick close to the head and narrowing toward the edge: a "V" -like construction when the blade is viewed from above.
The thicker the basis of the blade ( to a reasonable degree) , the more powerful its splitting action.
In the book by James Douglas Gamble " Axes of war an power" there is a categorical statement : " If the blade was not V-shaped it was not war axe".
I am also somewhat perplexed by the decoration: pretty women and rabbits somehow do not associate with war ( in my mind).
Also: is the blade integral with the body of this axe? If it was attached to it by some means rather than being hammered together as a solid bloc, the mechanical integrity of the finished product would be compromised. What is your assessment of it?
Can you show the blade viewed from above?

27th December 2021, 06:10 PM	#1
francantolin Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 878	Qajar period ? Axe with lion head hammer Hello and Merry Christmas Everyone !!! I just got this axe head blade , it was sold as a large ethnic pendant decoration... I cleaned it and I'll post the pictures soon, ( my gmail box is full and capricious , I took off a lot of pictures but for the moment it's over... ) do you think it's more persian or indian ? 19th century ? can it be earlier ?? Looks like many Qajar axe blades but seems of good quality, the engravings are really well chiseled , not like the acid etched drawings we often see. Attached Images

27th December 2021, 08:36 PM	#3
francantolin Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 878	Hello, Thank you Marius for your reply !!! Here a first picture ''without rust'' after a 24 hours bath in a famous dark coloured sparkling drink... the second with a light sanding 800 grain, I think the ''princess and the rabbits feel better like that there were inlays but almost nothing now... Attached Images

27th December 2021, 08:40 PM	#4
francantolin Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 878	''the hammer'' has gold remains, I wonder if it's really a lion... Attached Images

27th December 2021, 06:36 PM	#2
mariusgmioc Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Austria Posts: 1,903	Beautiful axe! To me, it looks indeed like a 19th century Qajar axe. The style of decorations also look more Persian than Mughal to me. The only unusual part for me is the hammer side that doesn't look like anything I have seen so far.

27th December 2021, 08:42 PM	#5
francantolin Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 878	Maybe a good etching on the blade can reveal a pattern...

4th January 2022, 02:49 AM	#6
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	I am wondering whether it might be ceremonial/parade rather than war axe. The fighting ones had blades very thick close to the head and narrowing toward the edge: a "V" -like construction when the blade is viewed from above. The thicker the basis of the blade ( to a reasonable degree) , the more powerful its splitting action. In the book by James Douglas Gamble " Axes of war an power" there is a categorical statement : " If the blade was not V-shaped it was not war axe". I am also somewhat perplexed by the decoration: pretty women and rabbits somehow do not associate with war ( in my mind). Also: is the blade integral with the body of this axe? If it was attached to it by some means rather than being hammered together as a solid bloc, the mechanical integrity of the finished product would be compromised. What is your assessment of it? Can you show the blade viewed from above?