Cut steel decorations on Indian arms

ariel · 8th November 2019, 02:08 AM

Jens,
I appreciate and respect your wish to concentrate on decorative elements of Indian weapons, but just want to show 2 South Indian swords of interest. Seems to me, that spear-like construction and fortified tip were indeed encountered in South India.
That would be my last deviation from your request. Sorry for disrupting the flow of information.

ariel · 8th November 2019, 02:36 AM

The "hunting scene" on this katar is interesting: apparently it was not " deep etched", but rather carved. If the blade is indeed wootz, that would support the notion that wootz was not hardened for fear of losing the pattern. As per Kirill's info, the hardness of wootz did not exceed 20-25 Rockwell unites.

As to the quality of carving, I am going on a very long and thin limb:-)
The figures are not sharp and lack elegance of earlier examples. Elgood has several examples of similar quality and attributes them to the late 19th century. Those were intended as wedding gifts and souvenirs. By that time katars virtually lost their fighting purpose.
Jens, when better pics become available, could you correct my amateurish dating? My artistic appreciation is not highly developed, I am a " slash and burn" type :-) who is trying to learn new tricks. It is hard....

Jens Nordlunde · 8th November 2019, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ariel

Jens, when better pics become available, could you correct my amateurish dating? My artistic appreciation is not highly developed, I am a " slash and burn" type :-) who is trying to learn new tricks. It is hard....

I dont think you are far from the correct date, as from the pictures I have seen so far, my guess would have been the same. It seems to be a very nice, but locally made katar, so now I hope for better pictures/details.

Yes there are a number of spear heads of this form, see Elgood: Hindu Arms and Ritual, p. 192, and yes they are south Indian. Sorry Mahratt, I know that not all have the book, but as there is copyright on the pictures, I dont like to show this one.

8th November 2019, 02:08 AM	#1
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	Jens, I appreciate and respect your wish to concentrate on decorative elements of Indian weapons, but just want to show 2 South Indian swords of interest. Seems to me, that spear-like construction and fortified tip were indeed encountered in South India. That would be my last deviation from your request. Sorry for disrupting the flow of information. Attached Images

8th November 2019, 02:36 AM	#2
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	The "hunting scene" on this katar is interesting: apparently it was not " deep etched", but rather carved. If the blade is indeed wootz, that would support the notion that wootz was not hardened for fear of losing the pattern. As per Kirill's info, the hardness of wootz did not exceed 20-25 Rockwell unites. As to the quality of carving, I am going on a very long and thin limb:-) The figures are not sharp and lack elegance of earlier examples. Elgood has several examples of similar quality and attributes them to the late 19th century. Those were intended as wedding gifts and souvenirs. By that time katars virtually lost their fighting purpose. Jens, when better pics become available, could you correct my amateurish dating? My artistic appreciation is not highly developed, I am a " slash and burn" type :-) who is trying to learn new tricks. It is hard....