A REPOUSSÉ SILVER-GILT MOUNTED SHORT SWORD (YATAGHAN)

OTTOMAN TURKEY, 18TH CENTURY

Details

A REPOUSSÉ SILVER-GILT MOUNTED SHORT SWORD (YATAGHAN)
OTTOMAN TURKEY, 18TH CENTURY
The long single-edged blade of typical form tapering to a point, a gutter along the blunt edge, the blade elegantly watered with ladder and rosette motif and one side of the blade with a cusped palmette with added signature cartouche of Assadullah Isfahani, the forte with a design of cusped foliage raised on gold ground, the bifurcated silver-gilt hilt with repoussé rococo design of cusped palmettes on a ground of flowering plants, the two sides of the grip divided by an iron bracket with gold-damascened scrolling vegetal decoration, the silver-gilt sheath with similar decoration with three large cartouches hatched ground, a stylised shell-shaped belt hook, the chappe with a curved flame-like finial, the top of the sheath with bands of scrolling floral vine set between strapwork bands
31in. (78.5cm.) long

Brought to you by

Andrew Butler-Wheelhouse

abutler-wheelhouse@christies.com +44 (0)20 7389 2196

Lot Essay

The repoussé decoration on the sheath with the elegant rococo-style garlands with rounded terminals is very similar to those found on the sheath of a dagger in a Danish private collection which is dated to the 18th century (Islamic Arms and Armour from Private Danish Collections, exhibition catalogue, Copenhagen, 1982, nr.10, pp.58-59).

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