An Uzbek pichaq for comment and request for translation of inscription

GePi · 8th June 2020, 10:08 AM

It has been a while since I posted something, so here goes.

This is a large Uzbek knife that has come into my collection last year. It sports a very nice wootz blade, which I gave a light repolish and etch. The grip is made of one piece of walrus ivory and is separated from the bolster by a band of inlaid turquoises, unfortunately with a few losses. The silver bolster has typical niello decoration and additionally sports a cartouche on the underside, also executed in niello.

Now I have tried my darndest to decipher the cartouche myself, but I cannot make any headway. I can make out the 'amal' in the lower right corner, so I am pretty certain it is a maker's mark, and also the numbers 129 at 12 o'clock (read as 1129 AH this would correspond to 1717 AD which would be rather early).
I would be very grateful if someone more proficient could give this a try.

8th June 2020, 10:08 AM	#1
GePi Member Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: Germany Posts: 93	An Uzbek pichaq for comment and request for translation of inscription It has been a while since I posted something, so here goes. This is a large Uzbek knife that has come into my collection last year. It sports a very nice wootz blade, which I gave a light repolish and etch. The grip is made of one piece of walrus ivory and is separated from the bolster by a band of inlaid turquoises, unfortunately with a few losses. The silver bolster has typical niello decoration and additionally sports a cartouche on the underside, also executed in niello. Now I have tried my darndest to decipher the cartouche myself, but I cannot make any headway. I can make out the 'amal' in the lower right corner, so I am pretty certain it is a maker's mark, and also the numbers 129 at 12 o'clock (read as 1129 AH this would correspond to 1717 AD which would be rather early). I would be very grateful if someone more proficient could give this a try. Attached Images