Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - Qama

ariel · 27th November 2016, 10:47 PM

I think that the hilt on the green one is perfectly straight, but the tang was inserted a bit crookedly. Look at the distance between the straight lines of the inscription and the base of the handle.

The original one sustained a bad blow at the base of the handle. That might have displaced the alignment. BTW, this one is very old, might be even 18 century ( see Miller's book of the Hermitage collection).

There were Caucasian kindjals with single-piece walrus handles bent toward the body. Some say it was made deliberately, to keep the handle closer to the body and prevent it from catching on something. I think that was just a natural curvature of the tusk.

27th November 2016, 10:47 PM	#6
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	I think that the hilt on the green one is perfectly straight, but the tang was inserted a bit crookedly. Look at the distance between the straight lines of the inscription and the base of the handle. The original one sustained a bad blow at the base of the handle. That might have displaced the alignment. BTW, this one is very old, might be even 18 century ( see Miller's book of the Hermitage collection). There were Caucasian kindjals with single-piece walrus handles bent toward the body. Some say it was made deliberately, to keep the handle closer to the body and prevent it from catching on something. I think that was just a natural curvature of the tusk.