Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

Oliver Pinchot · 19th December 2014, 07:07 PM

Charles, trade blades were made in the southern Caucasus, but I would not place this among them. The work is very fine and though twistcore blades certainly come up, they aren't common, especially not in this length.

The scenario probably went something like this: Imperial Russia and Persia went head to head over territory many times in the early 19th century, beginning with the devastation of Georgia by Agha Muhammad Khan in 1795. The blade was likely made to order for a local client, probably a Georgian of substantial means. Unlike many others, the Georgian nobility regularly led their troops into battle, thus a fine weapon like this one would have been wielded on the front lines. We may assume it was captured and found its way around Iran and down into India through trade thereafter. I would suggest that the mark is that of an individual, and a master at that. Several noted Armenian smiths worked between Nakhchivan and Tbilisi, and this is probably one of them.

The form of the hilt is also a bit atypical, showing a conflation of styles which is very appealing. The gold work is both lavish and in excellent taste; to me, this suggests that the last owner understood the quality of the blade and had a hilt of comparable quality made for it or perhaps used an heirloom.

19th December 2014, 07:07 PM	#9
Oliver Pinchot Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Posts: 456	Charles, trade blades were made in the southern Caucasus, but I would not place this among them. The work is very fine and though twistcore blades certainly come up, they aren't common, especially not in this length. The scenario probably went something like this: Imperial Russia and Persia went head to head over territory many times in the early 19th century, beginning with the devastation of Georgia by Agha Muhammad Khan in 1795. The blade was likely made to order for a local client, probably a Georgian of substantial means. Unlike many others, the Georgian nobility regularly led their troops into battle, thus a fine weapon like this one would have been wielded on the front lines. We may assume it was captured and found its way around Iran and down into India through trade thereafter. I would suggest that the mark is that of an individual, and a master at that. Several noted Armenian smiths worked between Nakhchivan and Tbilisi, and this is probably one of them. The form of the hilt is also a bit atypical, showing a conflation of styles which is very appealing. The gold work is both lavish and in excellent taste; to me, this suggests that the last owner understood the quality of the blade and had a hilt of comparable quality made for it or perhaps used an heirloom. Last edited by Oliver Pinchot; 19th December 2014 at 07:42 PM.