Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

Cathey · 19th October 2009, 10:29 PM

Hi Gene, Alex and Jim

Firstly what is ferric chloride?

The blade is plain, as they are on most Pata’s I have seen. Generally Pata’s have European blades so and this one looks typically European broad sword to me. I will try and load so close ups of the metal, but I don’t think it will tell you much.

The Information I have found on the Pata to date is:

The Pata is a single-handed Indian gauntlet sword. This sword was predominantly found in the southern regions of India. The Marathas invented the Pata, and it was their most favoured weapon. The Pata consists of a combination of a long double-edged blade and a gauntlet. The blade is usually European, Italian or Spanish. A pair of metal settings attaches the blade to the hilt of a gauntlet. These settings run down the face of the blade on both sides. The gauntlet covers the arm almost up to the elbow. The gauntlet has an iron strap hinged to the upper end that hooks around the arm. The grip is located inside the gauntlet, at a right angle to the blade.

The inside of the gauntlet is often padded to reinforce the grip and to reduce the shock of blows. The outside of the gauntlet is often covered with metal-worked decorations or embossed. A few were even studded with jewels. Some of the decorations depicted battle scenes. Others had prayers, or pictures of gods or large animals on them.

The patta was used by all military classes, particularly by experienced swordsmen. For one who is inexperienced with the patta it can be difficult to use but it is the most effective of all Indian swords. It is wielded by the strong muscles of the fore and upper arm, and not by the wrist. This allows the sword to deliver more powerful blows and thrusts at any angle. This method also greatly reduces the amount of fatigue, due to the use of the upper arm muscles (Rawson 46).

References:
Christie’s 16/7/03 Lot 19.
Pant, G.N. Indian Arms and Armour Volume II. New Delhi, S. Attar Singh Army Educational Stores. 1980. Pgs. 61-68
Rawson, P. S. The Indian Sword. London: Herbert Jenkins 1968. Pgs. 44-47
STONE, George Cameron, A Glossary Of The Construction, Decoration & Use Of Arms & Armour In All Countries And In All Times Pp 484-486
Wallis & Wallis Sale 458, 28/8/02 Lot 1122 Plate 12 Pp36
WELAND, Gerald A Collector's Guide To Swords, Daggers & Cutlasses PP107-108

Cheers Cathey

19th October 2009, 10:29 PM	#6
Cathey Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: adelaide south australia Posts: 276	Hi Gene, Alex and Jim Firstly what is ferric chloride? The blade is plain, as they are on most Pata’s I have seen. Generally Pata’s have European blades so and this one looks typically European broad sword to me. I will try and load so close ups of the metal, but I don’t think it will tell you much. The Information I have found on the Pata to date is: The Pata is a single-handed Indian gauntlet sword. This sword was predominantly found in the southern regions of India. The Marathas invented the Pata, and it was their most favoured weapon. The Pata consists of a combination of a long double-edged blade and a gauntlet. The blade is usually European, Italian or Spanish. A pair of metal settings attaches the blade to the hilt of a gauntlet. These settings run down the face of the blade on both sides. The gauntlet covers the arm almost up to the elbow. The gauntlet has an iron strap hinged to the upper end that hooks around the arm. The grip is located inside the gauntlet, at a right angle to the blade. The inside of the gauntlet is often padded to reinforce the grip and to reduce the shock of blows. The outside of the gauntlet is often covered with metal-worked decorations or embossed. A few were even studded with jewels. Some of the decorations depicted battle scenes. Others had prayers, or pictures of gods or large animals on them. The patta was used by all military classes, particularly by experienced swordsmen. For one who is inexperienced with the patta it can be difficult to use but it is the most effective of all Indian swords. It is wielded by the strong muscles of the fore and upper arm, and not by the wrist. This allows the sword to deliver more powerful blows and thrusts at any angle. This method also greatly reduces the amount of fatigue, due to the use of the upper arm muscles (Rawson 46). References: Christie’s 16/7/03 Lot 19. Pant, G.N. Indian Arms and Armour Volume II. New Delhi, S. Attar Singh Army Educational Stores. 1980. Pgs. 61-68 Rawson, P. S. The Indian Sword. London: Herbert Jenkins 1968. Pgs. 44-47 STONE, George Cameron, A Glossary Of The Construction, Decoration & Use Of Arms & Armour In All Countries And In All Times Pp 484-486 Wallis & Wallis Sale 458, 28/8/02 Lot 1122 Plate 12 Pp36 WELAND, Gerald A Collector's Guide To Swords, Daggers & Cutlasses PP107-108 Cheers Cathey Attached Images