Qajar period ? Axe with lion head hammer

ariel · 6th January 2022, 08:23 PM

Your " elephant" axe with a hidden dagger strongly reminds me of the Kutch Bhuj ( or Gandasa, as per Elgood): those traditionally have elephant head on the basis of the blade ( another name for them is " Elephant Axe"), and the majority ( if not all of them) a stiletto dagger screwed into the handle.

If the blade is flat, my guess would be that overall it is a Kutch parade thing.

Cthulhu · 7th January 2022, 01:39 AM

Like Marius, I haven't seen this style of hammer-side before. I'm intrigued by it.

My understanding is that axes weren't used as weapons during the Qajar period. Thus most axes made then were generally decorative. Axes that were actually used would be subject to enormous force on the blade (since the blade is designed to break things, and not be broken itself) and thus were typically made in one piece, of thick metal, and very much wedge shaped. This allowed a lot of force to be concentrated in a small area.
Qajar decorative axes were made in multiple pieces, of thinner metal, and much larger than the usual war axe.

I speculate that there was a evolution over time with these decorative axes, with the block holding the front and back starting in a rounded shape more like a real axe, and ending in a very easy-to-make block shape. Also the back starting as solid metal that was split and bent into decorative shapes, then later made as a hollow model of same, and then just cut out of flat metal. To be clear, I don't know this to be true, it could have more to do with the manufacturer, but it seems pretty plausible. And that's what intrigues me about this axe; can you tell if that "lion" is solid or hollow? Is it maybe the very beginning of the transition from solid metal block to split curlicues?

6th January 2022, 08:23 PM	#1
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	Your " elephant" axe with a hidden dagger strongly reminds me of the Kutch Bhuj ( or Gandasa, as per Elgood): those traditionally have elephant head on the basis of the blade ( another name for them is " Elephant Axe"), and the majority ( if not all of them) a stiletto dagger screwed into the handle. If the blade is flat, my guess would be that overall it is a Kutch parade thing. Last edited by ariel; 6th January 2022 at 08:42 PM.

7th January 2022, 01:39 AM	#2
Cthulhu Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: Central Valley, California Posts: 46	Like Marius, I haven't seen this style of hammer-side before. I'm intrigued by it. My understanding is that axes weren't used as weapons during the Qajar period. Thus most axes made then were generally decorative. Axes that were actually used would be subject to enormous force on the blade (since the blade is designed to break things, and not be broken itself) and thus were typically made in one piece, of thick metal, and very much wedge shaped. This allowed a lot of force to be concentrated in a small area. Qajar decorative axes were made in multiple pieces, of thinner metal, and much larger than the usual war axe. I speculate that there was a evolution over time with these decorative axes, with the block holding the front and back starting in a rounded shape more like a real axe, and ending in a very easy-to-make block shape. Also the back starting as solid metal that was split and bent into decorative shapes, then later made as a hollow model of same, and then just cut out of flat metal. To be clear, I don't know this to be true, it could have more to do with the manufacturer, but it seems pretty plausible. And that's what intrigues me about this axe; can you tell if that "lion" is solid or hollow? Is it maybe the very beginning of the transition from solid metal block to split curlicues? Attached Images