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Sword: ARM.185.1912

Object information

Awaiting location update

Maker(s)

Maker: Unknown

Entities

Categories

Description

The blade is straight and double edged, deeply etched and gilt with a florid design of calligraphy in foliage. The inscriptions appear nonsense, but are slightly too abraded to read. The jade hilt is of pale green nephrite, carved with a baluster grip, lotus bud guard and pommel, and a curved knucklebow, all carved with vegetation. The scabbard is of wood, with a bone fitting at the throat decorated with the same illegible inscriptions, highlighted in gold, and with bands of turquoises, the main body covered in patinated copper alloy sheet studded with small turquoises and red stone (probably glass), many of which are missing, and there are broad top-locket, suspension loop and chape fittings in brass chased with opulent vegetation.The hilt might well be an Indian example of the 18th century in Mughal style, to which the rest of this odd sword was added for sale late in the 19th century.

Legal notes

C.B. Marlay Bequest

Measurements and weight

Length: 760 mm
Weight: 590 g

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1912) by Marlay, Charles Brinsley

Dating

1850 CE - 1899 CE

Note

The hilt might well be an Indian example of the 18th century in Mughal style, to which the rest of this odd sword was added for sale late in the 19th century.

School or Style

Mughal

Components of the work

Blade Length 630 mm
Scabbard Length 675 mm

Inscription or legends present

Inscription present: inscriptions appear nonsense, but are slightly too abraded to read.

  • Text: calligraphy
  • Location: Blade
  • Method of creation: Engraved

Inscription present: inscriptions appear nonsense, but are slightly too abraded to read.

  • Text: calligraphy
  • Location: Bone fitting on scabbard
  • Method of creation: Engraved and highlighted in gold

Identification numbers

Accession number: ARM.185.1912
Primary reference Number: 162293
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Thursday 21 March 2013 Last processed: Tuesday 13 June 2023

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Sword" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/162293 Accessed: 2024-11-21 23:55:20

Citation for Wikipedia

To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:

{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/162293 |title=Sword |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-21 23:55:20|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

API call for this record

To call these data via our API (remember this needs to be authenticated) you can use this code snippet:

https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/api/v1/objects/object-162293

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