Lot Essay
This sword was almost certainly acquired by Bashford Dean during his six month acquisition tour of Europe and Turkey in 1919-20 when he is known to have purchased European armour and swords from the Military Museum housed in the Saint Irene Arsenal in Constantinople (Istanbul).
A very similar sword bearing the same inscription, date and makers marks was bequeathed by Bashford Dean in 1928 to The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. This sword now forms part of the Bashford Dean Memorial Collection (accession no. 29.150.143, on view in Gallery 370).
De Cosson states the translation of the Arabic script as 'Abu'l-Nasr Shaikh. Unalienably bequeathed by al-Malik al-Mu'ayyad, in the magazines of arms, in the Frontier-City of al-Iskandarîya, in the year 812(sic)'. He notes that Sultan Malik Mu'ayyad Abu'l Nasr Shaikh reigned from 815 AH (1412 AD) until 824 AH (1421 AD) and that the erroneous date 812 AH present on both this sword and on that held by The Metropolitan Museum of Art should be corrected to 822 AH (1419 AD).
A very similar sword bearing the same inscription, date and makers marks was bequeathed by Bashford Dean in 1928 to The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. This sword now forms part of the Bashford Dean Memorial Collection (accession no. 29.150.143, on view in Gallery 370).
De Cosson states the translation of the Arabic script as 'Abu'l-Nasr Shaikh. Unalienably bequeathed by al-Malik al-Mu'ayyad, in the magazines of arms, in the Frontier-City of al-Iskandarîya, in the year 812(sic)'. He notes that Sultan Malik Mu'ayyad Abu'l Nasr Shaikh reigned from 815 AH (1412 AD) until 824 AH (1421 AD) and that the erroneous date 812 AH present on both this sword and on that held by The Metropolitan Museum of Art should be corrected to 822 AH (1419 AD).