OTTOMAN BLACK SEA COAST, 18TH CENTURY

Details

A CORAL AND TURQUOISE-SET SWORD (KILIÇ) AND SCABBARD
OTTOMAN BLACK SEA COAST, 18TH CENTURY
The single-edged watered steel blade with false edge with gold overlaid inscription against a vegetal ground along the length of the blade, a lobed drop-shaped cartouche containing an inscription on each side, the spine similarly overlaid, the gilt-copper hilt set with numerous striated red coral droplets and cabochon turquoises, with two carved and gilded turquoises, the wooden scabbard entirely covered in gilt-copper and decorated en-suite
32in. (81.3 cm.) long without scabbard

Engraved

Down the blade, a Turkish couplet, with mistakes, zülfikar-ı tığ ile sahibkıransın ya ‘ali / şah-ı merdan şir-i yezdan kahramansın ya ‘ali, ‘With the sword Dhu’l-Faqar you are the Lord of the Auspicious Conjunction, O ‘Ali, / You are the King of Men, the Lion of God, the Hero, O ‘Ali!’
In the cartouche, tawakkaltu ‘ala allah, ‘I put my trust in God’
In the roundel on the reverse, Qur’an LXI, sura al-saf, v.13 (in part)

Conditions of sale

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Lot Essay

This sword is part of a small group characterised by the extensive inlay of striated red coral and cabochon turquoises. A rare dated example was described by the renowned arms and armour specialist Charles Buttin in 1926 and dated AH 1175⁄1761-62 AD, before being sold at auction (Charles Buttin, Important Collection of Oriental Arms, Anderson Galleries Inc, New York, 1926, lot 79). A closely comparable sword was formerly in the collection of the Venetian arms collector Giovanni P. Morosini, and is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (32.75.300a, b). Swords from the same group have more recently sold at Christie’s London, 26 April 2012, lot 275, 27 April 2017, lot 13, and 26 October 2017, lot 197.

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