Why This Article Changes the Game for Caucasian Arms

[Turkoman.khan]

https://objet.art/as/articles/695ff52f5c59d29ea8daacb4

Dear fellow collectors,

I can’t stop myself from sharing a few thoughts on the recent article by Mr. Talantov about aggregating data on major Caucasian workshops and legendary names.

For years, I’ve been genuinely frustrated by the lack of serious, large-scale efforts to bring together solid data on specific workshops, decorative elements, dating, and marks in the field of Oriental arms and armor. And to be fair, until recently, the digital and technological tools needed for this kind of work simply didn’t exist.

Most of us were left relying on shelves of sometimes poorly illustrated books, trying to figure out what to trust without access to real comparative data. I’ve lost count of how many times dealers told me a piece was a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” usually backed up by a single photo proudly shown at the top of an open book as supposed proof of rarity and value.

Now, it finally feels like things are changing. We’re getting access to real reference material—numbers, variations, high-quality images—and, most importantly, knowledgeable experts we can actually talk to and learn from.

Caucasian arms aren’t my main collecting field, but I’m honestly proud of what’s happening here. If Sergey Talantov and his team are reading this: you have my deepest respect. You’ve done what many of us only talked about doing—not for personal prestige or a private collection catalog, but for the entire community and for future generations.

I’ve also heard that similar large-scale aggregation projects are coming soon in the Indo-Persian field, with tens of thousands of openly available data points. I can’t wait. Time to start photographing my collection and submitting it.

[Jim McDougall]

I am coming in late on this, but I wanted to note here that I recently had the opportunity to get to know Sergey, and ultimately to interview him for an article in Objet.art. I cannot emphasize enough the amazing knowledge he has acquired through his tenacious research specializing in Caucasian arms.

This article goes to the incredibly esoteric area of the actual makers and shops who were behind the production of these remarkable weapons, and that the reason behind this esoteric aura is the lack of information which has remained a daunting factor in their study.

One of the most exciting facets of studying these beautiful arms is to finally learn more on the men who made them, and the contexts in which they were produced.

Obviously, the areas on Caucasian arms are quite arcane, especially as they are not commonly available in the west, and when they are offered, the costs are typically prohibitive. However there are times when an opportunity comes, and as someone who has had that occasion several times in a virtual lifetime of collecting, and having this kind of material offers wonderful dimension to the forms, even if contextual and not directly applicable.

For historians, the stories of the Caucasian wars and the fascinating history of the warriors of these peoples is hard to describe. I got my first shashka back in the early 90s, and can recall my excitement as I had come across a novel, "The Lost Sword of Shamyl" (Lewis Stanton Palen, 1927).......the romantic in me always thought, 'what if?' :)

Imam Shamyl was a Daghestani leader in the Murid War (1829-1859) and one of the most powerful figures in these places and times.