Quote:
Originally Posted by Gustav
I got it simply by searching.
Actually I have nothing more to say as I already did in #7 - I have my doubts regarding the blade and age of koftgari(?) on it. It is as far from my area of interest in edged weapons as NP from SP.
I asked a question if there is a fuller running across the blade. Now I also would ask, if it is common for Wilkinson swords, where the blade is homogenous to the sword, with no reasons against that fact, to have such an opening at blade/hilt joint. I would also ask, if such a flaw running across the blade is acceptable on a sword blade made by Wilkinson.
Is there a possibility this koftgari is recently refurbished or, let's say, repainted, or perhaps, even recently created? I think there is.
I do not have a nice story with geographical locations included for it - this sword raises only questions to me.
The auction house put it on auction twice, it was bought at the second time, it was sold under the estimate. The auction house did not post a picture of the entire blade, only hilt and the koftgari part. So I repeat - it would be interesting to have more pics of it, particularly of the part where koftgari ends till the point.
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Well done by searching for the auction material Gustav, as I noted, it would have been helpful if the OP included that information, which was likely not provided to Turkoman so understandable. This is common in third party postings.
Also I very much appreciate your forensic analysis of the sword, and explaining your deductions which are most helpful as well as elucidating.
With my entries, as more a historian, I do tend to suggest possible historic contexts which might explain the context of these kinds of anomalies, as they are IMO most intriguing so I do tend to create 'stories'.
My intent is to present hopefully reasonably plausible circumstances in which the weapon might have been involved.
Having noted that, I will say that in accord with your observations on the blade, this is clearly not a Wilkinson blade as seen by the lack of ricasso as well as nature of the fullers which you have been observing.
Regarding the questions of serial numbers on Wilkinson swords, as I understand these are typically placed on the spine of the blade. Wilkinson began its sword production with those for officers in mid 19th c. with early numbers used in 1850s. It did not become Wilkinson Sword Co. until 1891 so that would suggest the sword was probably post that date.
I am not familiar with the name being placed on the locket in this manner.
Having noted that, and the fact that Wilkinson always placed its name on the blade, along with the familiar 'Star of David' surround with brass proof plug at center. It is tempting to imagine this arrangement with the Wilkinson on the locket may have been due to the absence of the blade for appropriate placement of the attribution to that company.
In this period, there had been ongoing often strained detente between Great Britain and Iran primarily involving strategic geography in the Middle East and Central Asia in which England was trying to protect its 'jewel, India.
It would not be hard to imagine such a sword fashioned with such a blade and involved in these 'diplomatic' relations in what was known as 'The Great Game' (Peter Hopkirk's book by that title).
So I would shift the 'theater' of my 'story' from Ottoman context (now that we know the script in the koftgari is Persian) in Arabia to more direct contact between Great Britain and Iran, probably around turn of the century.
With that, I'll leave the forensics to the experts.