Mace from Bukhara.
 

Recently, thanks to the help of one of my good friends from this forum, I bought this Bukhara mace for my collection.
Does anyone have similar items in their collections?

Elgood, Robert, ed., Islamic Arms and Armour, Scolar Press 1979. There is an article on the subject. Flindt, Torben W.: Some Nineteenth-Century Arms from Bukhara.
The David Collection. Islamic Arms and Armour from Private Danish Collections. Pp. 128-129.

Oh yeah. Thank you. I have this book and this article. You correctly noted that my mace is from this private collection and was published in the article about which you wrote. I know it :)

I dont know if the mace you have is the same as the one mentioned/shown in Torben W. Flindt's article. Maybe it is - you will have to be the judge.
I have had the mace in my hands, and also saw it when it was exhibited at The David Collection - but it is many years ago.

I think it's enough to compare the photo.

Question: have you seen any engraving or ancient document showing Bukharan men with this mace? I think many of these maces so-called bukhara maces are not from Bukhara.

Mahratt, when you compare the marks on the stone head, to the ones in Toben's article, it does seem to be the same mace.
Funny to see the mace again after so many years. Congratulations:-).

Yep, Those pic leave no doubt. Rotate yours about a quarter turn clockwise and the markings line up exactly.

Jens, thanks :)
Yes, the world of collectors is not very large.

Kubur, this is a very good question.
Unfortunately I have not seen any images Bukharan men with this mace. I know only one document of the late 19th century, which describes a diplomatic reception at the Emir of Bukhara. This document mentions important dignitaries who had richly decorated axes and maces in their hands.
I know for sure that my mace and maces, which are kept in Denmark in private collections and an ethnographic museum, were brought from Bukhara by Danish officer and ethnographer Ole Olufsen in the late 19th century. Most of these maces are decorated in a style typical of Bukhra. These "Danish" maces can be called "standart".
It is logical to assume that maces similar to these "standart Bukhara maces" also originate from Bukhara.

The lack of images of Bukhara men with such maces can hardly be considered a serious argument ... For example, until recently, images of Bukhara men with Bukhara shashka were not known. Only one image - a picture of the artist Vereshchagin. But we know a lot of Bukhara shashkas, both in museums and in private collections.

I asked that because there is another country where they use silver and turquoise and they have maces also... I wonder if one member knows which country I'm talking about...

I suspect that you mean Iraq’s “swamp arabs" or Kurds. Although, of course, I could be wrong and you thought about another country.

You are very very very good Mahratt
Yes indeed I'm thinking about Iraq. ;)

Thanks, Kubur.
It seems to me that there are a number of serious "But":
1) I can’t recall photos men from Iraq with such maces.
2) I can’t remember similar maces in museums that would be attributed to Iraq
3) if we assume that these maces come from Iraq, it is strange that Olufsen brought several of these maces from Bukhara

If I'm wrong, please correct me.

On the other hand, I have not seen a single well-known publication about such maces, except for all of us known article by Torben Flindt.
This is rather strange, since logically such maces were supposed to get into Russia as trophies, and not just to Denmark ... Although, maybe they are in some small provincial museums and are waiting for the researcher.

It does not surprise me that Bukhara maces are similar to objects from other countries. The Bukhara emirate was a multinational state where two great Asian traditions met - Turkic and Persian.

I do, will post later

You are right

You are right they have to be from Bukhara, especially because they are associated to bukharan shashka

That's my problem, only one article but collectors will follow blindly

Yes I'm just trying to think where this mace originate from and when

Do you mean the photo album in which the peoples of the Ottoman Empire were photographed in national costumes? In the photo there are usually three people nearby. Or some other photos?

You are absolutely terrific! Yes of course this one from Iraq and another one that I have to find. Some Sudanese alabaster maces are very similar and also some Indian rock crystal ones...

Thanks Kubur

You're right, Iraqi, Indian and Sudanese maces are very similar. And I also thought about it.
Therefore, I guessed what kind of photo you thought about.
But ... All these maces are made in a completely different style. And the so-called "Bukhara maces", despite minor differences, are well recognizable and similar to each other. That is, they have one common style.
As I wrote earlier, I do not understand why there are no publications devoted to these maces, except for one, which is well known to us. But now I'm trying to figure it out. I am trying to find out if there are such maces in museums in Uzbekistan.

Maybe it is time to take an interest in the silver decoration, and compare it to silver decorations from Bukhara.
I knew Torben at the time he wrote the article, and he must have had very good reasons for saying this mace is from Bukhara.

Jens, I have no doubt about that. Olufsen brought to Denmark this collection of various weapons at the end of the 19th century from Bukhara. And Torben Flindt wrote a very good article.

Mahratt, maybe this will be of interest to you.
https://archive.org/details/emirbokh...fgoog/page/n13

Jens, thank you very much! I read this book. But I am very pleased that you want to help me! Thank you again! Unfortunately, I didn't find any mention about this mace in this book... But maybe I didn't read the book carefully?

Sometimes you are so polite and so kind that I suspect that you are a bit ironic... But I'm a bad man you are probably just a gentleman...
I know this book too! And of course these maces are Central Asian but like you i would like to know more...

Hi Kubur
Previously, I was quite “sharp” and caustic in communication :) But after the comments of the moderators forum I decided that it was much easier to be as polite as possible ;)
I am sincerely grateful to Jens. He wanted to help me. He could not know that I had already read this book.

If I learn something new about these maces, I will definitely inform you of new information.