Kora with scabbard
 

G'day, :)
I am hoping to receive some guidance regarding the age, origin and some of the attributes of this Kora.
It has a raised spine, which I believe indicates Nepalese construction?
The gold 8 petaled lotus design is created via the use of the Parasol motif, to my eye? Is this useful in attribution of origin?
Blade is watered/mechanical damascus, 22 in.
Weight is 3 pound.
Due to the skill of Blademaker shown, well balanced for weight and size, I think this is a fighting kora, as opposed to a sacrificial piece. Although I imagine it could be used in either role, :shrug:
Direction and corrections are welcome.

Kind regards,

Dan :)

What a nice puppy. It looks Nepalese to me and even with mechanical damascus steel! Not Tibetan for sure...

Indian kora
 

The elephant ear end of the blade indicates Indian origin. Circa 1820 or earlier is a guess. Scabbard is newer. Nice piece tho.

bbjw

G'day :)
Battara, BBJW, Thank you for your interest and thoughts!
I hope you are willing to share more. I have some questions.
What are the knowable elements that define whether a piece is of Nepalese, or Indian blade smithing tradition?(I under stand these terms are not precise as this region has provided for many different peoples/tribes/faiths).
Is there a established oldest referenced point of origin for kora and kukri?(congruent). Some temple reliefs I recall seeing on forum were interesting.
Fanciful Speculation!
This Kora was made for a member of the rajput court. A Royal?
For your consideration I would also like to exhibit a Kukri I also believe to be of Nepalese manufacture, for Rajput nobility, 1820's Anglo-Nepali war era surrender piece. The Tulwar/Kora/Kukri Hybrid grip is interesting?
In the hope of valuable facts and knowledge, I remain interested in a continuance of dialouge.A simplified Map and/or Timeline of the region would be wonderful. It is unlikely such items will come my way again.


Sincerely,

Scratch :)

Disc & Metal pics.

Could the Parasol be a mushroom? motif?

Hello Dan,

Congrats, very nice pieces!

How was the provenance established?

AFAIK, a parasol is associated with nobility/royalty. Most likely a better motif than most mushrooms... ;)

Regards,
Kai

Nice Blade
 

Nice blade Dan,

As I have handled this piece first hand and had a good play with it, I must say it is very nice. The precission in the quality of the watered balde is amazing, super clean crisp lines and from it's movement through the air, it is a seriously deadly weapon.

My question is though, other than an image of this exact style Kora with the protruding spine near the tip and large "elephant ear" that is in the copy of Stones Glossary I have here, I don't have any other references to point to this exact style. BBJW, what reference material could I search for that indicates this as Indian as you have indicated, I would be interested in reading further.

regards

Gav