Oops! You're absolutely right Charles, looks like I really bought that one! of course it isn't brass, and not sure how I thought it was. Also a bit of a red herring was the suggestion that Georgian swords did not use brass, and I did not realize that we were actually considering that this sword was British. In fact many Georgian officers swords were indeed in brass, typically gilt. The relief work on this hilt strongly suggests Bidri work, which falls nicely in place with the Hydrabad associations as the region known for this dramatic gold with blackened background is geographically close.
Thank you for the observation on the ricasso 'block' which well explains the feature and possible refitting of an older blade.
After some thought and in looking at this hilt form, it is indeed of Persian form and recalls similarly formed solid hilts of the Deccan from 17th century and later, but which usually have flueret style quillon terminals and often knuckleguards. In the southern India preference, these are often however in brass.
With the strong diplomatic and cultural ties between northwest Indian regions and Deccani, the diffusion of many weapons and their features are often seen .
In particular I recall a shamshir hilted tulwar which had a solid steel hilt in loosely this form but quite plain, knuckleguard and with the typically seen tulwar style langet and Ottoman influenced quillon terminals, again as on most tulwars of Indo-Persian hilt with disc pommel.
What was fascinating was that it was mounted with what was distinctly a British M1788 light cavalry sabre blade, and with koftgari decorative panel at the forte.
This brings to mind once again the hybridization of these arms between India and Georgian Great Britain, and the importance of both diplomatic and award swords often presented at Royal durbars.
Returning to the potential Urdu in the cartouche, though this language was primarily associated with the northwest in India, it was also present in the courts of Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan in the Deccan.
The heron or crane images in the motif remain a puzzle, but it is known that Mughal favor of botanicals and varying animals and birds in motif is very much part of their decorative art in their material culture. These kinds of allegorical and symbolic depictions are typical in Sh'ia artistic context, such as the Simorgh on many blades .
Absolutely magnificent sabre!! and hopefully more ideas will come in. I think your observations regarding Napoleonic influences are well placed. The French were prominently placed in advisory situations in Deccani courts in those times, and it is reciprocally interesting to see the sabres for French officers in 'oriental' style as well.
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