Antique 18th-19th Century Indo Persian Saddle Axe Islamic Mughal India Bhuj Gujarat

Antique 18th-19th century Indo-Persian horseman's saddle axe (tabarzin), Islamic Mughal Northwest India, Bhuj, Gujarat.

The gilt copper head is crescent-shaped and adorned with hand-chased foliage and flowerheads on each side. It comes with a sturdy steel blade.

The protruding rear hammer has an elephant on top of it. The elephant has an engraved saddle blanket and is accompanied by two tigers, which are mounted on a tubular steel haft. The haft is overlaid with silver foil that has an engraved floral pattern highlighted in gold.

The bottom of the shaft is adorned with an elaborately chiseled gilt copper finial that can be unscrewed to reveal a hidden dagger, which was used as a secondary weapon in combat.

REFERENCES: A similar axe is published in the catalog "Rites of Power: Oriental Weapons" (Rituais de Poder: Armas Orientais) from a collection of Jorge Caravana on page 99.

Which can also be viewed online: please see the link below.

http://www.caravanacollection.com/project/tabar-battle-axe-with-dagger.html

The buyer will be provided with a copy of the pages from the mentioned references and a certificate of authenticity.

CONDITION: It shows age and use. The steel blade pitted. The bottom corner of the gilt copperhead near the steel blade has a combat crack (but holds firmly and steadily. The silver overlay on the steel haft and the gold gilt on the copper are slightly worn.

MEASUREMENTS:

Overall length: 49 cm (19.3 inches).

Length of the head from the steel blade to the top of the elephant: 15.5 cm (6.1 inches).

Weight: 677 grams (1.49 lb)