Arts of the Islamic World & India including Fine Rugs and Carpets

An Ottoman sword (kilij) and scabbard, set with carved ivory yali-head hilt, Turkey and Sri Lanka, 17th century

Restricted Species

Auction Closed

October 27, 03:41 PM GMT

Estimate

40,000 - 60,000 GBP

Lot Details

Description

lightly curved watered-steel blade with three punched dots, the hilt in the form of a mythical yali with leonine head comprised of shaggy mane and gaping maw, the silver quillons and scabbard mounts with carved design of flowers and foliage each with fine niello details on a punched ground, set with plaques inscribed 'Rodolfo Lan(s)' - Constantinopolis - 1685' and a coat-of-arms, tughra of Mehmed IV (r.1648-87) on other side

90cm.

This lot should not bear a Warehouse symbol and will remain at New Bond Street after the sale.// This lot contains ivory. Sotheby's recommends that buyers check with their own government regarding any importation requirements prior to placing a bid. For example, US regulations restrict the import of elephant ivory and prohibit the import of African elephant ivory. Please note that Sotheby's will not assist buyers with CITES licence applications where a buyer elects to either collect or arrange their own shipping, nor will Sotheby's assist with the international movement of ivory by air, either as freight or through hand carry. Sotheby's shipping will only assist in shipping the lot to either domestic UK or EU destinations, where delivery is made by road transport. Please note that CITES licences are required for the export of any restricted species from the UK, including to EU countries. A buyer's inability to export or import these lots cannot justify a delay in payment or sale cancellation.

The distinctive representation of the mythical yali (or vyala) in rearing posture is first found in temple sculpture at Vijayanagara during the Tuluva and early Nayak period of the sixteenth century. There is a carved ivory of related form from the Nayak period, seventeenth-eighteenth century, in the Victoria and Albert Museum (inv. no.IS 146-1986) which may once have formed part of a throne. The combination of the hilt, from Sri Lanka, affixed to an Ottoman sword with the typical silver and niello quillons and mounts of the second half of the seventeenth century is highly unusual. Furthermore, it is exceptionally rare to find an Ottoman sword with European details, including an attribution to the owner, place and date as part of the overall decoration.

The mount’s inscription could refer to a European name, possibly Rodolfo Landgraf, ‘Landgraf’ being a territorially based title. It can be deduced from the two other inscriptions that this presumably Italian merchant or diplomat commissioned the sword in 1685 whilst residing in Istanbul. The Sri Lankan hilt could be his own acquisition from a previous travel, subsequently added to the sword on his request.

The coat-of-arms remains unidentified, but further research led by Sotheby’s connected this emblem with the arms of the family Pauw van Wieldrecht. An important character from this Dutch family and contemporary of the sword was Adriaen Pauw van Wieldrecht, known for signing the peace Treaty of Munster in 1648.

The date of 1685 and the presence of the tughras place the production of the sword within the reign of the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed IV (r.1648-87), a period during which other fine silver and nielloed objects employing the same work found on the present mounts were created, see for example two daggers in the Rustkammer, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen, Dresden, inv. nos.Abb. S. 24 and Nr. Y138. An imperial Ottoman silver-gilt and nielloed penbox using the same decorative repertoire was sold in these rooms, 9 April 2014, lot 160.