QAJAR "REVIVAL" SWORD for Comment

ariel · 12th October 2019, 04:47 AM

What was meant there by “ highly decorated?
There are many ways besides wall-to-wall etching to decorate a blade.

How different in heft and sturdiness were these swords?
The Qajar era Revival swords usually had thin flat blades without even a T, resembling sheet metal ( no fullers, no midrib). Many ( like this one) imitated Ottoman Palas without being graciously contoured.

mariusgmioc · 12th October 2019, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ariel

What was meant there by “ highly decorated?
There are many ways besides wall-to-wall etching to decorate a blade.

How different in heft and sturdiness were these swords?
The Qajar era Revival swords usually had thin flat blades without even a T, resembling sheet metal ( no fullers, no midrib). Many ( like this one) imitated Ottoman Palas without being graciously contoured.

"Highly-decorated" was my expression. To avoid any further ambiguity, I am posting herewith a photo of the last of the two pages discussing these swords. Two pages out of about 750...

I have handled several of these swords but didn't keep any as I judged them to be purely touristy crap (exactly as described by Ariel, with flat blades like cut from sheet steel, with no - or very poorly shaped - cutting edge and fairly poorly executed etching).

So, in my uneducated oppinion (based on personal observation), many, if not most of the "Qajar revival" swords are purely decorative and probably don't even belong to the Qajar period but are much later (20th century).

I also believe the text in the book refers strictly to the genuine Qajar period straight swords and not to the vast majoity of touristy crap that invaded the markets in the 20th century.

Mercenary · 15th October 2019, 02:06 PM

The Indo-Persian culture this is not a mixture of Indian and Persian culture. This is the muslim culture of one large region from Iran to South Asia including of course Central Asia.
How much there were Shiites centres and how many "Persian" subjects of weapon were prodused in India not only for European travelers?

15th October 2019, 02:06 PM	#3
Mercenary Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Moscow, Russia Posts: 421	The Indo-Persian culture this is not a mixture of Indian and Persian culture. This is the muslim culture of one large region from Iran to South Asia including of course Central Asia. How much there were Shiites centres and how many "Persian" subjects of weapon were prodused in India not only for European travelers? Last edited by Mercenary; 15th October 2019 at 02:41 PM.

12th October 2019, 04:47 AM	#1
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	What was meant there by “ highly decorated? There are many ways besides wall-to-wall etching to decorate a blade. How different in heft and sturdiness were these swords? The Qajar era Revival swords usually had thin flat blades without even a T, resembling sheet metal ( no fullers, no midrib). Many ( like this one) imitated Ottoman Palas without being graciously contoured.