HYDERABAD, DECCAN, INDIA, DATED AH 1192/1778-79 AD

Details

A WATERED-STEEL CUIRASS
HYDERABAD, DECCAN, INDIA, DATED AH 1192/1778-79 AD
Composed of a breastplate and backplate with hinged joints on the sides and at the shoulder, the torso with slightly raised mid-seam and moulded pectorals, the opening and borders of the hinges with a silvered raised cusped band with hanging palmettes at the base of the neck and on either shoulder, band of cusping around the waist, the rear fluted neck guard with a cusped rim, engraved on the left shoulder in naskh
17 3/8in. (44cm.) high; 15in. (38cm.) maximum width

Engraved

On the left shoulder: Sarkar Mir Nizam 'Alikhan Bahadur, 1192
On the back of the left shoulder: 64
On the backplate: rabor(?)

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Behnaz Atighi Moghaddam Head of Sale

batighi@christies.com +44 20 7389 2509

Lot Essay

This cuirass, or body armour, is nearly identical to another in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (inv. 29.158.165a, b.) and another in the Khalili Collection (inv. MTW 1157; illustrated David Alexander, The Arts of War, The Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art, Oxford 1992, no. 108, p. 175.). Both of those examples also share the same inscription as ours which gives the name of Nizam ‘Ali Khan. This indicates that the three all belonged to the armoury of the second Nizam of Hyderabad Nizam ‘Ali Khan (r. 1762-1803), who led the state through an important period of economic growth turning it into one of the most important Muslim cultural centres in India. A cuirass from the same group also dated 1192 was sold in these Rooms, 25 April 2015, lot 162.

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