Arts of the Islamic World & India including Fine Rugs & Carpets
Arts of the Islamic World & India including Fine Rugs & Carpets
A SILVER-INLAID SWORD (TALWAR) DEDICATED TO SAFDAR JANG BAHADUR, NAWAB OF OUDH, SIGNED BY MUHAMMAD BAQIR MASHHADI, INDIA, DATED 1163 AH/1750 AD
Auction Closed
June 10, 06:00 PM GMT
Estimate
8,000 - 12,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
A SILVER-INLAID SWORD (TALWAR) DEDICATED TO SAFDAR JANG BAHADUR, NAWAB OF OUDH, SIGNED BY MUHAMMAD BAQIR MASHHADI, INDIA, DATED 1163 AH/1750 AD
the curved watered-steel blade finely inlaid with three gold inscriptive cartouches, the hilt decorated with dual silver-inlay work, applied as raised on the quillons and upper pommel and flat work on the grip section and underside of pommel, missing scabbard but original chape with en-suite decoration
85cm.
inscriptions
In an oblong cartouche at the forte: 'work of Muhammad Baqir Mashhadi, 1163 AH (1750 AD).
On the blade in two cartouches: 'Safdar Jang Bahadur, 1163 AH (1750 AD); 'help from Allah and a near victory'.
An almost identical hilt with the same complex inlaid decoration is in a private collection (Norlunde 2016, pp.328-330) and another loose hilt was exhibited in 1988 alongside a complete sword with a fine Persian blade (Ricketts 1988, pp.82, 91).
Almost all surviving examples of blades, such as this, made by Muhammed Baqir, were made exclusively for Safar Jang in the mid-eighteenth century. Persian born, Safar Jang was a central figure in the Delhi court of Muhammed Shah and gained full control of the Mughal Empire administration before being appointed Wazir-ul Mumalik-i-Hindustan (Prime Minister of Hindustan). The maker of the present blade, Muhammed Baqir, probably fled the political upheaval and commercial instability of Persia following the death of Nader Shah and settled in Oudh. During this turbulent period, Oudh was still flourishing and thus attracted accomplished artisans, namely Baqir. He was the only known swordsmith working in India to have signed his blades, a Persian concept which he brought with him.
Comparable swords bearing the names of both the swordsmith and his patron are held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Alexander 2015, pp.192-3); the Furusiyya Art Foundation Collection (Mohamed 2007, p.85) and the Khalili Collection (Alexander 1992, p.82).