- 159
A fine Ottoman sword and scabbard, signed by Ahmed al-Khurasani, Turkey, 18th century
Estimate
30,000 - 50,000 GBP
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Description
- horn, steel, leather, gilt brass, wood scabbard
the curved watered-steel (Kara-Khorasan) blade decorated on one side with raised gold inscriptions in Kufic script and chiselled steel nasta'liq calligraphy within a design of scrolling arabesques and split-palmettes on a ground of punched and dimpled gold sheet, the other side with three cartouches containing raised Kufic calligraphic inscriptions set between two palmettes, the gilt cross-guard incised with seal of Solomon, the hilt set with horn grips with silver rivets, leather-covered wood scabbard with gilt mounts and two hooks for hanging
Condition
In fairly good condition, the sharp edge of the blade with few minor nicks ad patches of oxidisation, few very minor parts of gold inlay missing, the cross-guard with some sections rubbed and oxidised, the wooden hilt with a crack and some abrasion to external edges, the scabbard with some wear to leather section and minor dents to mounts, with scratches, consistent with age and use, as viewed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
inscriptions
Front square Kufic panels:
'In the name of Allah, the most gracious, the most merciful
Work of Ahmad [of] Khurasan'
In the three cartouches in square Kufic:
Part of Ayat al-Kursi 'Throne Verse' (Surah al-Baqara (2), vs. 255).
Long inscription in Kufic:
Surah Al-Ma’idah, verses 34 and 35:
"Save those who repent before you overpower them; for know that Allah is the Forgiving, the Merciful. O you who believe; fear Allah and seek approach to Him, and strive hard in His way, that happily you may thrive."
Nasta'liq chiselled inscription:
Surah al-Saff - 61), part of verse 13: “Victory from God and speedy conquest”
Nasta'liq gold-inlaid inscription:
Surah al-Fatiha, verses. 2-4.
Quillon and Fittings:
Ya Allah (Oh Allah) (Outer inscription undecipherable)
MaShaAllah (What Allah wills)
Of the highest craftsmanship, this sword, almost certainly of noble or royal commission, is signed by one of the great master swordsmiths of the period, Ahmad al-Khurasani.
Following the battle of Chaldiran in 1514, and the conquest of Tabriz by Sultan Selim (r.1517-20), a large number of Persian craftsmen were brought back to the Ottoman capital. An academy of Persian artisans was established in Istanbul, known as the Nakkashane-I Irani, producing works of art for their Ottoman patrons. There also existed a special guild of swordsmiths (the simsirgeran), paid directly by the royal treasury. Ahmad al-Khurasani, whose name refers either to his place of birth or ancestral lineage, is an example of one such craftsman.
Alongside the other prestigious swordsmiths of the period such as Acem Oglu, Isma'il al-Farghani, Osman ibn Haji Muhammad and Qara Sabar al-Erserumi, Ahmad al-Khurasani created a style in which multiple techniques were used in the design of the blade, particularly in the application of gold on a punched ground, a combination of gold-inlaid inscriptions and cut-steel inscriptions and motifs, with a favoured design of split-leaf arabesques. There are only a small number comparative swords known from this prestigious atelier: two swords also by al-Khurasani, one in the Benaki Museum, Athens, and another in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; two swords in the Furusiyya Art Foundation, including an unmounted shamshir blade attributed to the seventeenth/eighteenth century (inv. no. R-236) - decorated on both sides with sectioned inscriptions, raised Kufic calligraphy along the edge written as a wave and inset arabesques with split-leaf designs (see B. Mohammed, L’Art des Chevalier en Pays d’Islam, Collection de la Furusiyya Art Foundation, Institut du Monde Arab, 2007, p.73, no.37). The other sword in the collection (inv.no. R-296), signed by Acem Oglu, is dated to the eighteenth/nineteenth century and features similar, yet slightly reduced decoration, including a poem in very fine nasta’liq running along the blade.
The Topkapi Saray Museum in Istanbul features three unmounted blades on display, each with inset arabesques and lengthy nasta’liq inscriptions, but none in Kufic. The swords are each directly attributed to different rulers; the first to Sultan Mahmud II (r.1808-39), the other to Sultan Abdulaziz (r.1861-76) and the last to Sultan Abdulhamid II (r.1876-1909). A further four swords in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, can be cited, one of which incorporates inset arabesques designs followed by finely-executed nasta’liq inscriptions, signed by Acem Oglu (inv. no.36.25.1298). The leaf work designs and flat inlay inscriptions on the second sword in the museum, also signed by Acem Oglu, distinguish it as part of this group (inv.no. 36.25.1294a). Although the last two swords are unsigned, their design and inscriptions, including a seal of Solomon on one of them, tie them directly to the group (inv.nos. 36.25.1632 and 36.25.1293).
An additional sword, crafted by the highly regarded Acem Oglu (Ajamoglu), was sold at Christie's, 24 April 2012, lot 276. The decoration of the blade corresponds to the blend of split-palmette arabesques on a gold punched ground with Kufic designs characteristic of this group. It is rare for such examples to appear at auction, and the complexity of design on this blade, use of Kufic and nasta'liq in gold and chiselled steel, distinguish the present sword as a fine blade undoubtedly commissioned for a noble or royal patron.
Front square Kufic panels:
'In the name of Allah, the most gracious, the most merciful
Work of Ahmad [of] Khurasan'
In the three cartouches in square Kufic:
Part of Ayat al-Kursi 'Throne Verse' (Surah al-Baqara (2), vs. 255).
Long inscription in Kufic:
Surah Al-Ma’idah, verses 34 and 35:
"Save those who repent before you overpower them; for know that Allah is the Forgiving, the Merciful. O you who believe; fear Allah and seek approach to Him, and strive hard in His way, that happily you may thrive."
Nasta'liq chiselled inscription:
Surah al-Saff - 61), part of verse 13: “Victory from God and speedy conquest”
Nasta'liq gold-inlaid inscription:
Surah al-Fatiha, verses. 2-4.
Quillon and Fittings:
Ya Allah (Oh Allah) (Outer inscription undecipherable)
MaShaAllah (What Allah wills)
Of the highest craftsmanship, this sword, almost certainly of noble or royal commission, is signed by one of the great master swordsmiths of the period, Ahmad al-Khurasani.
Following the battle of Chaldiran in 1514, and the conquest of Tabriz by Sultan Selim (r.1517-20), a large number of Persian craftsmen were brought back to the Ottoman capital. An academy of Persian artisans was established in Istanbul, known as the Nakkashane-I Irani, producing works of art for their Ottoman patrons. There also existed a special guild of swordsmiths (the simsirgeran), paid directly by the royal treasury. Ahmad al-Khurasani, whose name refers either to his place of birth or ancestral lineage, is an example of one such craftsman.
Alongside the other prestigious swordsmiths of the period such as Acem Oglu, Isma'il al-Farghani, Osman ibn Haji Muhammad and Qara Sabar al-Erserumi, Ahmad al-Khurasani created a style in which multiple techniques were used in the design of the blade, particularly in the application of gold on a punched ground, a combination of gold-inlaid inscriptions and cut-steel inscriptions and motifs, with a favoured design of split-leaf arabesques. There are only a small number comparative swords known from this prestigious atelier: two swords also by al-Khurasani, one in the Benaki Museum, Athens, and another in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; two swords in the Furusiyya Art Foundation, including an unmounted shamshir blade attributed to the seventeenth/eighteenth century (inv. no. R-236) - decorated on both sides with sectioned inscriptions, raised Kufic calligraphy along the edge written as a wave and inset arabesques with split-leaf designs (see B. Mohammed, L’Art des Chevalier en Pays d’Islam, Collection de la Furusiyya Art Foundation, Institut du Monde Arab, 2007, p.73, no.37). The other sword in the collection (inv.no. R-296), signed by Acem Oglu, is dated to the eighteenth/nineteenth century and features similar, yet slightly reduced decoration, including a poem in very fine nasta’liq running along the blade.
The Topkapi Saray Museum in Istanbul features three unmounted blades on display, each with inset arabesques and lengthy nasta’liq inscriptions, but none in Kufic. The swords are each directly attributed to different rulers; the first to Sultan Mahmud II (r.1808-39), the other to Sultan Abdulaziz (r.1861-76) and the last to Sultan Abdulhamid II (r.1876-1909). A further four swords in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, can be cited, one of which incorporates inset arabesques designs followed by finely-executed nasta’liq inscriptions, signed by Acem Oglu (inv. no.36.25.1298). The leaf work designs and flat inlay inscriptions on the second sword in the museum, also signed by Acem Oglu, distinguish it as part of this group (inv.no. 36.25.1294a). Although the last two swords are unsigned, their design and inscriptions, including a seal of Solomon on one of them, tie them directly to the group (inv.nos. 36.25.1632 and 36.25.1293).
An additional sword, crafted by the highly regarded Acem Oglu (Ajamoglu), was sold at Christie's, 24 April 2012, lot 276. The decoration of the blade corresponds to the blend of split-palmette arabesques on a gold punched ground with Kufic designs characteristic of this group. It is rare for such examples to appear at auction, and the complexity of design on this blade, use of Kufic and nasta'liq in gold and chiselled steel, distinguish the present sword as a fine blade undoubtedly commissioned for a noble or royal patron.