Why This Article Changes the Game for Caucasian Arms

Turkoman.khan · Yesterday, 05:26 PM

https://objet.art/as/articles/695ff52f5c59d29ea8daacb4

Dear fellow collectors,

I can’t stop myself from sharing a few thoughts on the recent article by Mr. Talantov about aggregating data on major Caucasian workshops and legendary names.

For years, I’ve been genuinely frustrated by the lack of serious, large-scale efforts to bring together solid data on specific workshops, decorative elements, dating, and marks in the field of Oriental arms and armor. And to be fair, until recently, the digital and technological tools needed for this kind of work simply didn’t exist.

Most of us were left relying on shelves of sometimes poorly illustrated books, trying to figure out what to trust without access to real comparative data. I’ve lost count of how many times dealers told me a piece was a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” usually backed up by a single photo proudly shown at the top of an open book as supposed proof of rarity and value.

Now, it finally feels like things are changing. We’re getting access to real reference material—numbers, variations, high-quality images—and, most importantly, knowledgeable experts we can actually talk to and learn from.

Caucasian arms aren’t my main collecting field, but I’m honestly proud of what’s happening here. If Sergey Talantov and his team are reading this: you have my deepest respect. You’ve done what many of us only talked about doing—not for personal prestige or a private collection catalog, but for the entire community and for future generations.

I’ve also heard that similar large-scale aggregation projects are coming soon in the Indo-Persian field, with tens of thousands of openly available data points. I can’t wait. Time to start photographing my collection and submitting it.

Yesterday, 05:26 PM	#1
Turkoman.khan Member Join Date: Apr 2023 Posts: 133	Why This Article Changes the Game for Caucasian Arms https://objet.art/as/articles/695ff52f5c59d29ea8daacb4 Dear fellow collectors, I can’t stop myself from sharing a few thoughts on the recent article by Mr. Talantov about aggregating data on major Caucasian workshops and legendary names. For years, I’ve been genuinely frustrated by the lack of serious, large-scale efforts to bring together solid data on specific workshops, decorative elements, dating, and marks in the field of Oriental arms and armor. And to be fair, until recently, the digital and technological tools needed for this kind of work simply didn’t exist. Most of us were left relying on shelves of sometimes poorly illustrated books, trying to figure out what to trust without access to real comparative data. I’ve lost count of how many times dealers told me a piece was a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” usually backed up by a single photo proudly shown at the top of an open book as supposed proof of rarity and value. Now, it finally feels like things are changing. We’re getting access to real reference material—numbers, variations, high-quality images—and, most importantly, knowledgeable experts we can actually talk to and learn from. Caucasian arms aren’t my main collecting field, but I’m honestly proud of what’s happening here. If Sergey Talantov and his team are reading this: you have my deepest respect. You’ve done what many of us only talked about doing—not for personal prestige or a private collection catalog, but for the entire community and for future generations. I’ve also heard that similar large-scale aggregation projects are coming soon in the Indo-Persian field, with tens of thousands of openly available data points. I can’t wait. Time to start photographing my collection and submitting it. Attached Images