Hunting Tulwar (Tulwar Shikargah)

[Cathey]

Hi Norman

Thankyou for raising the issue of European Hunting swords of which I have a growing collection. I think the point you raise is more than valid and one I will pursue in my research. If wealthy or highly ranked individuals owned and used very elaborate hunting swords in Europe, I am not sure we can preclude the same practice in the east out of hand.

Even tourist pieces are usually not created in a vacuum, they are based on something that originally had a purpose. I have also previously discarded these heavily engraved swords as mere tourist pieces until I found that they are not as prolific as you would expect and the high-quality examples in watered steel held in important collections has also caused me to rethink my position.

With regard to the sword I own, I have the advantage of being able to compare it to other high quality Tulwars in my collection and also high quality early European swords. Apart from having a serviceable edge this sword is well balanced in the hand and appears to be as functional as my other horseman’s swords. Was it used as a hunting sword or just a ceremonial piece, I have no definitive proof at this stage, and perhaps never will, however I also have no evidence to the contrary? I think the next avenue to explore will be the history of hunting in the East rather than simply relying on available arms and armour related texts.

This will certainly be an interesting area to dedicate some research to and I have been told by a far more experienced collector in this field that this has not been attempted in any detail previously and his view is that it is a gap that should be addressed.

Norman would you be so kind as to send me some high-resolution pictures of your shield, preferably on a white background. You can send these me via the Heritage Arms Society email: heritage.arms.society@gmail.com.

Jim has kindly offered to assist me with this project and I am sure his attention to detail and due diligence will keep me from going to far off track.

Cheers Cathey

[Cathey]

Hi Guys

Just to confuse things a little more, this Hunting Sword is Spanish but heavily influenced by the Moors. It was the late Claude Blair that confirmed this connection and identified SAN RoqE on the blade as Saint São Roque the Patron Saint of Dogs.

This sword is difficult to date as it is the only example I have come across, however Claude believed it to be Circa 1810.
Nationality: Probably Cordoba, Argentina?
Overall Length: 62.4 cm (24.6 inches)
Blade length: 46.5 cm (18.3 inches)
Blade widest point: 4.5 cm (1.8 inches)
Marks, etc: Blade engraved decoration to 2/3rds and the name SAN RoqE. Decoration includes dear, standing man with hat, double headed eagle and ½ man with hat as well as decorative foliage.

Description
HUNTING SWORD Hispanic origin circa 1800 (Cordoba, Argentina?). Purchased by the previous owner from an antique shop in London in 1949. Ornate silver hilt includes a carved horn dog at the top of the grip connected to the lower end of grip by a silver chain. Silver work to leather scabbard, end missing. All silver fitting very tight and well made excellent quality. Double-headed eagle is included among the complicated decoration deeply chiselled into the blade. The name SAN RoqE [San Roque] is the Spanish form of that of the French saint known in English and French as “Saint Roch”. He was very popular, and many churches and religious institutions were dedicated to, or named after him.

General Remarks
General workmanship is extremely fine and typical of European hunting swords; however its provenance is somewhat mysterious in that the design and look is Spanish, but with a distinct Moorish flavour.

When considering the name SAN RoqE on the blade it is interesting to note that there is a small city called San Roque in Colombia, and there is silver in Colombia, men with hats, deer and eagles. Regarding the dog in the hilt, this may relate to the legend of Saint São Roque which says that when São Roque was contaminated with the plague, he retired to the forest, and only survived because a dog brought him daily a piece of bread. In some countries this Saint is considered the patron of dogs.

The piece has a very strong Moorish or oriental flavour, both in the shape of the sword, as in the decoration. Acid etching (aqua forte) decoration is thoroughly used on the blade of this sword, and this technique was of common use in Toledo, were artisans were taught to use it centuries ago from the Moor invaders.

It was through correspondence with the late Claude Blair that the Spanish origin, combined with Moorish influence was confirmed. This sword despite being very ornate does show signs of period use.

Cheers Cathey

[Jim McDougall]

This is a fascinating example, and I know I have seen one either similar or perhaps this very sword in references someplace (it'll drive me nuts til I find it). The example I recall had that same SAN RoqE inscription.
I am thinking it may have been seen in "The Lore of Arms" (William Reid, 1920/1984 repr) but dont have it at hand. I know I included it in notes on Spanish weapons I was compiling.

The Moorish distinction is well noted, and what it most interesting is the 'yataghan' type forward curve, the wire wrapped grip neck (as on Islamic swords such as shamshir, and often on hangers etc. ). This feature has been seen on Spanish colonial swords in the central and south American sphere.
Note the 'karabela' hilt nimcha which is Arab but circulated throughout Mediterranean regions and into the Spanish sphere through trade routes in their colonies in Morocco.

I think the Cordoba, Argentina attribution is correct, as this resembles the machete like knife/sword known as the 'facon' in these South American regions.
The allegoric zoomorphic 'dog head' seems in accord with the San Roque legend.
Note the resemblance in the rearward extension of the blade at forte, resembling those of many facon.
Similar machete type swords with these kinds of zoomorphic pommels are known in Central American and tropical Mexican regions as well.

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Cathey

... I think the next avenue to explore will be the history of hunting in the East rather than simply relying on available arms and armour related texts.

This will certainly be an interesting area to dedicate some research to and I have been told by a far more experienced collector in this field that this has not been attempted in any detail previously and his view is that it is a gap that should be addressed....

Will this one be useful ?

http://thelastwilderness.org/wp-cont...a-Chimalgi.pdf


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[Norman McCormick]

Hi,
A relevant passage from the article that Fernando highlighted.

"The hunt was masterminded by a group of local hunters called ‘shikharis’, which was headed by a ‘mir shikaran’ or the head shikari."

An Indian painting 19thc.

An Indian steel bow.

Regards,
Norman.

[Norman McCormick]

Originally Posted by Cathey

Hi Norman

Norman would you be so kind as to send me some high-resolution pictures of your shield, preferably on a white background. You can send these me via the Heritage Arms Society email: heritage.arms.society@gmail.com.

Cheers Cathey

Hi Cathey,
No problem.
My Regards,
Norman.

[Norman McCormick]

Hi,
This should be of interest. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/30963
Regards,
Norman.

[Jim McDougall]

Addendum to my post #38,
I found some notes referring to that San RoqE inscription and a rough sketch of an apparent example I was looking at with an oddly shaped grip, the same type of 'choil' form at blade forte below grip neck.
These seem to be an atavistic form in the style of Mediterranean dirks, which are often inscribed and with high relief scenes on blades, and the blade with this feature which has often been termed the 'Mediterranean notch'.

While obviously this is a more a sword than dirk, it is atavistic in recalling the forward curved form called falcata (or macheira) as an Iberian sword of 3rd-4th c.
Online entries refer to these as 'la falcata de Almedinilla' near Cordoba in Andalusian Spain. Andalusia was of course the Moorish region until the Reconquista of 15th c. but that heritage remains. In entries concerning the village of Almedinilla, it is noted that a unique feature culturally there is the use of hunting scenes decoratively used on curtains etc.
While perhaps not pertinent, seemed worthy of note.

These examples are of the falcata type, and seem to have often favored stylized horse head pommels.

Cathey, just to add more........nada in the Reid book, so still no idea where I saw the other example.
From, "Gauchos: The Vanishing Frontier" R.Slatte, 1992 p.74

"...all Gauchos carried a sheathed knife, or facon, ranging up to 27" in length, thrust through the back in tirador (belt). "
"..this sword like knife was repeatedly outawed because of the mahy murders committed by facon wielding Gauchos, and shrank to a more modest length by end of 19th c,.
Although firearms became more common during the last quarter of the century, the facon remained the favored weapon"


Of course, this deviates from the shikargar theme here, but as the scope is expanding further, and chiseled blades are discussed just wanted to add these notes.

In considering the scope of the hunt as practiced in the 'East', I am wondering if this is just Middle East and Asia, including Orient, or in the regions formerly regarded as 'Moorish' such as Andalusia.

[fernando]

You will notice that the skilled (but possibly illiterate) engraver failed to include the 'U' in San Roque's name. But if you look twice, it is visible that he later became aware of the flaw and included a tiny 'V' in the name, as in the old days the 'U' was written with a 'V'.


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