Antique 18th Century Middle Eastern Islamic Steel Shield Dhal

Antique late 18th century Islamic Indo-Persian Large steel shield Separ-Dhal of a circular convex form. This shield is made from a single piece of very thick solid steel that has been hand-hammered. The interior of the shield shows visible hammer marks, while the exterior surface is perfectly smooth. Affix with four flower shaped domed bosses placed on the elaborate cartouchesand affixed on reverse with four ring bolts for straps to hold the shield and flanked by four silver inlaidelaborate cartouches.

The center of the shield is adorned with large medallion, ornamentedwith Arabic calligraphy script, surrounded by finely etched hunting scene featuring numerous equestrian figures wearing Indo-Persian costumes and bearing various weapons, including Shamshir swords, spears, bows, and daggers, and hunting a wide variety of animals, including lions, tigers, leopards, deer, and ibex.

This hunting scene often occurred on Indo- Persian miniatures and carpets in the 17th-19th century.

The shield's border is decorated with a wide band of 8 lobed cartouches, each containing Qur'anic inscriptions in the Arabic calligraphic script "inasta'liq." The edge is reinforced with a brass band that is applied and riveted to the shield.

REFERENCES :

"De Perzen, krijgers en dichters" by Mark Hoos and Francesco Civita. This is a catalog for an exhibition that was held at the Wereldmuseum in Rotterdam.

Below is a link to a video from this exhibition.

https://vimeo.com/145082879

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

NOTE: We would like to inform our clients that the market is flooded with reproductions of Indo-Persian arms and armor, including shields that appear like authentic artifacts to inexperienced collectors. Therefore, we want to clarify that the shield we are offering is a genuine Indo-Persian antique dated to the late 18th century and is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity.

MEASUREMENTS: Diameter: 46.5 cm (18.31 inches).

WEIGHT.2.5 kg (5.512 lb.).

CONDITION: in very good condition shows its age and use,