Sword: O.93-1879

Maker(s)

Maker: Unknown

Entities

• Sword
• Indian weapons
• firanghi

Categories

• Weapons

Description

The steel blade is straight and single edged, narrowing towards the point, with a flat back accompanied by three fullers. The hilt, of old Hindu basket form, comprises a figure-8 guard with cusps at the waist, angled across the centre, with cusped wings secured by heavy staples to the guard, and heavy reinforces almost the full width of the blade and secured by a single rivets in flower-bud terminals. The guard is extended into a wide knucklebow decorated with a single groove at either side. The thin grip is swells to the centre, and retains fragments of its original leather binding. There is a broad, shallow dish pommel inside which is a broad low dome with a long spike finial, slightly curved, enabling the sword to be used with two hands. The hilt is covered with black paint, the blade polished bright and pitted from earlier corrosion

Notes

History note: Probably from the Tanjore armoury, broken up in 1860 (see documentation Elgood 2004)

Legal notes

Given by Robert Taylor, MA

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Given (1879) by Taylor, Robert, MA

Dating

17th Century#
Circa 1600 CE - 1700 CE

Note

Taylor describes as ‘two-handed sword’.