Pesh Kabz

mariusgmioc · 13th April 2016, 07:38 PM

Very beautiful work! Superb craftsmanship as you can even see the veins of the koftgari leaves. It is both a weapon and a work of art (and a very exquisite one)!

However, it is rather recent (would say first half of 20th century) and the "gems" appear to be glass.

But I would love to have it.

ariel · 13th April 2016, 08:17 PM

I think it may be even " newer".
Decorative "gems" are secured by a technique imitating kundun, but in fact it is not gold amalgam, but rather wire around the perimeter. The blade is mechanical damaskus, and both this as well as fully intact decorations on the blade are epidemic on modern Indian creations.

I would be delighted to be proven wrong.

kronckew · 13th April 2016, 08:33 PM

the very short tangs on these 'crystal' handles knives scares me & would seem to relegate them to 'display only'. i would not expect to see many really old ones that have not had the join fail, if not from anything other than dropping.

Bob A · 13th April 2016, 08:55 PM

A very handsome knife.

If it were made yesterday, it would be no less an Indian Pesh Kabz. It possesses the attributes that encompass the tradition, and is done with artfulness and flair.

Battara · 14th April 2016, 12:22 AM

I was thinking that it was a marriage of an old blade with a new handle of glass, which seems smaller than it should be.

I do want to hear from the others.

Rick · 14th April 2016, 12:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Battara

I was thinking that it was a marriage of an old blade with a new handle of glass, which seems smaller than it should be.

I do want to hear from the others.

I don't see many if any inclusions, which I consider a bit strange for rock crystal.
It does seem a very nice piece of work at any gate.

mariusgmioc · 14th April 2016, 07:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Battara

I was thinking that it was a marriage of an old blade with a new handle of glass, which seems smaller than it should be.

I do want to hear from the others.

I beg to differ, while I might be wrong.

Indians have rather small hands and that reflects on the sizes of the hilts. I have several Indian daggers and some have unusually small hilts for Western hands (for example the majority of Indian Katars and Patah swords would be impossible to be used by westerners as their hands wouldn't fit the grip). However, they fit perfectly smaller hands, which I think it would be the case for this one.

Now with regards to glass vs. rock cristal, I believe it would be very difficult to distinguish them from the photos. However, rock crystal is neither very rare, nor very expensive (I have seen hundreds of huge crystals in a couple of shops in Brazil), so it might very well be rock crystal. Anyhow, this should be fairly easy to determine upon closer examination.

As with regards to the blade, I haven't seen any recent Indian blade chiseled with such skill and I suspect this is because it would be very time consuming and economically not efficient. I even tried to have such a blade made to order but I wasn't successful. Moreover, the pattern & contrast of the welded Damascus is not characteristic to the modern productions but to the earlier 20th century blades.

corrado26 · 14th April 2016, 07:54 AM

In my Archive I found fotos of an Indian Pesk Kabz whose handle with the head of a ram might come from the same source............
corrado26

Battara · 14th April 2016, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mariusgmioc

Indians have rather small hands and that reflects on the sizes of the hilts. I have several Indian daggers and some have unusually small hilts for Western hands (for example the majority of Indian Katars and Patah swords would be impossible to be used by westerners as their hands wouldn't fit the grip). However, they fit perfectly smaller hands, which I think it would be the case for this one.

You may have a point. Besides, I took another look at the pictures and noticed that they are taken at a slight angle, which skews the view for me, making the hilt smaller than it might otherwise be.

14th April 2016, 07:54 AM	#8
corrado26 Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Black Forest, Germany Posts: 1,226	In my Archive I found fotos of an Indian Pesk Kabz whose handle with the head of a ram might come from the same source............ corrado26 Attached Images

13th April 2016, 07:38 PM	#1
mariusgmioc Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Austria Posts: 1,906	Very beautiful work! Superb craftsmanship as you can even see the veins of the koftgari leaves. It is both a weapon and a work of art (and a very exquisite one)! However, it is rather recent (would say first half of 20th century) and the "gems" appear to be glass. But I would love to have it.

13th April 2016, 08:17 PM	#2
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	I think it may be even " newer". Decorative "gems" are secured by a technique imitating kundun, but in fact it is not gold amalgam, but rather wire around the perimeter. The blade is mechanical damaskus, and both this as well as fully intact decorations on the blade are epidemic on modern Indian creations. I would be delighted to be proven wrong.

13th April 2016, 08:33 PM	#3
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,215	the very short tangs on these 'crystal' handles knives scares me & would seem to relegate them to 'display only'. i would not expect to see many really old ones that have not had the join fail, if not from anything other than dropping.

13th April 2016, 08:55 PM	#4
Bob A Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 435	A very handsome knife. If it were made yesterday, it would be no less an Indian Pesh Kabz. It possesses the attributes that encompass the tradition, and is done with artfulness and flair.

14th April 2016, 12:22 AM	#5
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,272	I was thinking that it was a marriage of an old blade with a new handle of glass, which seems smaller than it should be. I do want to hear from the others.