Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

Gavin Nugent · 4th September 2009, 11:29 PM

Fair call Jens.

Like weapons from many times and cultures, an exercise in absolute correct identification of Indian hilts is an exact science and one I am sure many of us all learn a little about each day, I know I do.

Learned colectors such as yourself, Jim and others from Mother England, I am sure would be better versed on the subject than most due to Englands long standing interest/history with India.

My Niche and passion is Chinese and this is where most of my spare time is directed, this Indian hilt ID is a steep leaning curve and something I personnaly have not commited to memory.
I rely on friends, generous people within this forum and reference books from some of the great authors throughout time and use these when needed and thus learn in the process...a good chance to learn further soon as three are on their way to me and I can add these hilts to the topic at hand.

From conversations I have had over time with various Sikhs (not always an absolute authority), they have always indicated sword hilts and blade shapes are based on religion so I would assume that one must consider Indian religions and the placement of these ethic groups devoted to certain worship throughout India to better gleam an idea of proper identification.

It is a very good thread that is going here and working through the processes to find if there is an exact science is what is needed but as noted above, one must also understand trade centres that made hilts and where they were traded to.
I know I'd love to pinpoint with a degree of exactness, the Sosun Patta I have in my personal collection so I will be reading and researching further when time permits and share these observations when they come to hand.

As I noted above, reference books are invaluable, if you can afford them, grab them, seek them out and ask fellow collectors for titles, we can't all know everything, but as a collective, such as this forum, so much more can be revealed as many heads are looking in many directions.

I hope these comments open up some further discussion too.

Regards

Gav

4th September 2009, 11:29 PM	#18
Gavin Nugent Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 2,818	Fair call Fair call Jens. Like weapons from many times and cultures, an exercise in absolute correct identification of Indian hilts is an exact science and one I am sure many of us all learn a little about each day, I know I do. Learned colectors such as yourself, Jim and others from Mother England, I am sure would be better versed on the subject than most due to Englands long standing interest/history with India. My Niche and passion is Chinese and this is where most of my spare time is directed, this Indian hilt ID is a steep leaning curve and something I personnaly have not commited to memory. I rely on friends, generous people within this forum and reference books from some of the great authors throughout time and use these when needed and thus learn in the process...a good chance to learn further soon as three are on their way to me and I can add these hilts to the topic at hand. From conversations I have had over time with various Sikhs (not always an absolute authority), they have always indicated sword hilts and blade shapes are based on religion so I would assume that one must consider Indian religions and the placement of these ethic groups devoted to certain worship throughout India to better gleam an idea of proper identification. It is a very good thread that is going here and working through the processes to find if there is an exact science is what is needed but as noted above, one must also understand trade centres that made hilts and where they were traded to. I know I'd love to pinpoint with a degree of exactness, the Sosun Patta I have in my personal collection so I will be reading and researching further when time permits and share these observations when they come to hand. As I noted above, reference books are invaluable, if you can afford them, grab them, seek them out and ask fellow collectors for titles, we can't all know everything, but as a collective, such as this forum, so much more can be revealed as many heads are looking in many directions. I hope these comments open up some further discussion too. Regards Gav Last edited by freebooter; 5th September 2009 at 03:13 AM.