Persian pala type blade with tulwar hilt

[Jim McDougall]

19th c. Bedouin Assad Allah, my collection, see:
"On the Persian Shamshir and the Signature of Assad Allah"
Oliver Pinchot, 2002

Persian trade late 18th through 19th.

As Nihl has pointed out, it is not a question of historical connection as the combining of either trade blades, heirloom or trophy blades was a very dynamic and regularly employed convention in most cultures. The character of the use of a given weapon was also relative, it may have been actively worn in combat situations, or of course worn as a status accoutrement in court or parade circumstances. All of these matters are typically speculative without exact provenance details.

In Oliver Pinchot's outstanding article he notes,
"The enormous demand for Persian blades both in Persia and abroad resulted in great increases in production at such centers as Khorasan, Qazrin and Isfahan in the late 18th and 19th c"

Further, "...Persian smiths reverted to producing an appreciably heavier and more complex type of blade replete with fullers, grooves and false edge, which had been popular prior to the reign of Abbas.".

"too, the familiar signature of Amali Assad Allah began to evolve into a simple pictogram representing a stylized lion contained within a circular cartouche".

Honestly, I have seen blades like on my Arabian saber on other types of swords including tulwars, piso podang and I believe many even on shashkas. .
I have not ever seen a 'pala' blade of this genre, but Ottoman influence was of course prevalent in Mughal courts, as well as Persian.

[ariel]

I am afraid that the Pala/Tulwar combination has old and genuine blade and the rest is modern. Compare the worn-out gilding of the ricasso with perfectly intact niello of the handle and the scabbard decor.
Was it sold from India?

[qusko]

Originally Posted by ariel

I am afraid that the Pala/Tulwar combination has old and genuine blade and the rest is modern. Compare the worn-out gilding of the ricasso with perfectly intact niello of the handle and the scabbard decor.
Was it sold from India?

It was on European auction. Seller was not from India. Silver koftgari is not the highest quality (not thick) and I tend to agree that surprisingly handle is intact....but if it was presentation saber ..still possible.

[qusko]

Adding some more pictures that may help to see silver koftgari on that saber.

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by qusko

It was on European auction. Seller was not from India. Silver koftgari is not the highest quality (not thick) and I tend to agree that surprisingly handle is intact....but if it was presentation saber ..still possible.

Items sold in Europe would not have had to be directly from India....many arms ended up in Europe.

[ariel]

I am a great believer in the Occam's rule:-)

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by ariel

I am afraid that the Pala/Tulwar combination has old and genuine blade and the rest is modern. Compare the worn-out gilding of the ricasso with perfectly intact niello of the handle and the scabbard decor.
Was it sold from India?

Agreed, the hilt and scabbard seem 'modern' which would include late 19th into early 20th century, and seems to be fashioned in the 'bidri' convention, but not of course in the quality of the original. This seems likely to be Rajasthani, and indeed, one of these Assad Allah Persian trade blades of much earlier in the 19th c.

I would suggest this possibly something fashioned having to do with the durbars of the British Raj, where items were brought and sold in the bazaars present, but also such items and wares were traded among various tribal groups in a diplomatic sense.

The fact that this is a most unusual blade form for this genre of trade blades in my thought, suggests perhaps the latter is quite likely.

It is not unusual in ethnographic spheres to have heirloom or distinctive blades remounted in more current or locally favored dress. This is why these Persian trade blades are seen the scope I previously mentioned.

The blade itself retains its inherent history regardless of more modern dress, much as seen in the Figiel collection auctioned some years ago.