Splendid silver Tulwar for translation and comments

[Gonzoadler]

Hello,

I recently acquired this sumptuos and heavy Tulwar. The hilt is made of silver and decorated with a fine worked snake, which entwines it. The finely pierced fittings of the leather covered wooden scabbard are made of silver, too. Only the suspension rings are probably made of another, harder white metal. The blade seems of persian origin to me and is made of Wootz-steel. It has some inscriptions I can not read.

total length: 95 cm
length without scabbard: 90 cm
blade length: 74 cm
maximum blade width: 3.6 cm
total weight: 1.573 kg

I am interested in a translation of the blade inscriptions and your comments regarding the age of the parts of this swords, it's origin, the meaning of it's decoration and so on.

Kind regards
Robin

[Gonzoadler]

More pictures:

[Tim Simmons]

Is this old?

[Jim McDougall]

For comparison: from Persian trade blade c.1800-20, the pictograph of the lion and cartouche Assad Allah.

[kahnjar1]

Beautiful sword but is this really a Tulwar?
Stu

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by Tim Simmons

Is this old?

I am far away from being an expert on Indian blades but I am very positive that this is old!

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by Gonzoadler

Hello,

I recently acquired this sumptuos and heavy Tulwar. The hilt is made of silver and decorated with a fine worked snake, which entwines it. The finely pierced fittings of the leather covered wooden scabbard are made of silver, too. Only the suspension rings are probably made of another, harder white metal. The blade seems of persian origin to me and is made of Wootz-steel. It has some inscriptions I can not read.

total length: 95 cm
length without scabbard: 90 cm
blade length: 74 cm
maximum blade width: 3.6 cm
total weight: 1.573 kg

I am interested in a translation of the blade inscriptions and your comments regarding the age of the parts of this swords, it's origin, the meaning of it's decoration and so on.

Kind regards
Robin

What a beauty! Congrats Robin!

[Ian]

Beautiful sword and very unusual hilt for a tulwar. Lovely silver work on the scabbard.

[Jim McDougall]

Remarkable example of what reminds me of the Mughal court sword which is called the 'zafar takieh' (=cushion or crutch of victory). These were the sword versions of the crutch type dagger which was supposed to have been used by regal figures reclining in their courts during audiences etc.

Obviously this is a more stylized version and with the entwined serpent which seems to be among certain symbols in the complex dynamics of Persian imagery. I recall in the Sudan there were occasions of snakes appearing on certain blades and though cannot recall detail, it seems associated with certain Sufi dogma.

Persian theology including elements of Sufi are well known in the Mughal courts of India. The attached image of the Lion and cartouche resemble those used characteristically on the Persian trade blades of mid 18th into 19th with these representing Assad Allah which were well known through many ethnographic spheres, in my previous post this is on a Bedouin shamshir.

The beautiful filigree of the scabbard reminds me of Hyderabad style work though typically it is embossed silver in the mounts, The European style carry rings seem likely to be of course from those influences in the British Raj as the rococo leaf type decoration .
Recalls the kinds of weapon often presented during durbar. I have seen examples of native weapon forms such as remarkable Chinese jian crafted by British artisans and jewelers specifically created for diplomatic purposes, in this case perhaps for such events in the princely states and courts in India.

Though not typical for the usual Indo-Persian tulwar, the familiar grip form can be seen, and technically the term tulwar is applicable despite the variation.

The other example attached is a Deccani version in Persian form in steel, but with typical features of the unbiquitous Indo-Persian form seen. The blade is British M1788 cavalry with koftgari added at forte, likely from East India Co. contexts.

With this tulwar example posted in the OP, it is difficult to assess age on an item of this elegance which has been specifically produced in traditional form and combined elements and in silver. I can see watered pattern in the blade, but do not have the expertise to say more on the metallurgy.

[Gsingh]

Unusual hilt for this however that is a very nice persian dark wootz blade. The cartouche I believe may have been filled with gold at one point.

[Gonzoadler]

Thank you for the comments, especially Jim McDougall's are as always well researched and interesting.
I know that this is not an easy piece because it is very unique in style and the very good overall condition can iritate. But I have no doubt that it is an old piece, because of some traces of age like restaurations on the upper fitting of the scabbard and the fine wootz blade, which doesn't look like a modern copy. Maybe it needs a new etching.
The suggestion that it is maybe a presentation or court sword seems plausible to me.
Maybe some other members have seen something similar in the past and can post it. An estimation of the age of the handle and scabbard would be interesting, too, they are not necessarily as old as the blade, like many Ottoman swords show.
Also a translation of the inscriptions on both sides would be great.

Regards
Robin

[Jim McDougall]

Robin thank you so much for the very kind words which mean a lot. I do tend to get very involved with researching, and coincidentally have recently been studying English silver hilt swords and the artisans producing them in what is termed the Regency Period (late George III and George IV).

These were important times in the British Raj in India with the fall of Tipu Sultan in 1799 ending the 4th Anglo Mysore war, and the advent of British power, occupation and diplomacy in administrating India.

Rather than this intriguing example being a direct tulwar form, in my opinion it reflects a combining of both elements of Mughal weapons and the subtle but elegant rococo decoration taken from Regency Period silverwork.

It would seem logical that this sword would have been likely to have been involved in the diplomatic settings of the durbar type assemblies in India in the years after Seringapatam (1799) as the British organized the administration of the British Raj in the princely states of the Mughal Empire.

With high grade weapons like this, wootz blade, silver, filagree etc. they are likely to have been kept in safe locations and specifically cared for, so it is diffficult to assess age. The actual wording in the cartouches are copied it seems from the well known Assad Allah trade blade motif, so are probably non specific as far as useful as far as further identification.

These are simply my opinions and as always I look forward to observations of others here, especially in seeing other high quality examples like this which may have such potential diplomatic orientation.

[Gonzoadler]

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

Robin thank you so much for the very kind words which mean a lot. I do tend to get very involved with researching, and coincidentally have recently been studying English silver hilt swords and the artisans producing them in what is termed the Regency Period (late George III and George IV).

These were important times in the British Raj in India with the fall of Tipu Sultan in 1799 ending the 4th Anglo Mysore war, and the advent of British power, occupation and diplomacy in administrating India.

Rather than this intriguing example being a direct tulwar form, in my opinion it reflects a combining of both elements of Mughal weapons and the subtle but elegant rococo decoration taken from Regency Period silverwork.

It would seem logical that this sword would have been likely to have been involved in the diplomatic settings of the durbar type assemblies in India in the years after Seringapatam (1799) as the British organized the administration of the British Raj in the princely states of the Mughal Empire.

With high grade weapons like this, wootz blade, silver, filagree etc. they are likely to have been kept in safe locations and specifically cared for, so it is diffficult to assess age. The actual wording in the cartouches are copied it seems from the well known Assad Allah trade blade motif, so are probably non specific as far as useful as far as further identification.

These are simply my opinions and as always I look forward to observations of others here, especially in seeing other high quality examples like this which may have such potential diplomatic orientation.

Thanks again for that interesting information.
Nearly three years ago I postet a distantly similar hanger from my collection. It has an interesting silver hilt, too, but is also a bit mysterious and maybe not helpful.
Here is that piece:

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=28242

[Jim McDougall]

Thank you for linking this, and the guys had some great observations on that as well, indeed most unusual as it appears remarkably in the same styling loosely as this sword. In the 18th century, there was profound interest in 'oriental style' in Europe, especially 'chinasorie' decoration particularly in smallswords and court swords, The use of shakudo and other alloyed material was used in many of the hilts and scabbards.

As I mentioned, even the swordsmiths such as Thomas Gill provided high end blades for sumptuous hilts such as Chinese jian which were highly decorated in precious metal.

These kinds of remarkable 'oriental' (in those days India was included with the Middle East and the Orient in that description) hilts and mounts were often paired with high end blades with their own venerable character.
While these kinds of weapons are usually of course 'one off' and privately commissioned, it is of course hard to assess based on comparisons available in references. Most court and presentation arms are only referenced in highly esoteric and specialized material.

You are very fortunate to have acquired these two weapons which seem to have remarkably similar character in the combined interpretations of styling and silver reflecting traditional elements and the potential for diplomatic associations of these times.