Antique 18th Century Islamic Turkish Ottoman Tombak Stirrups

A pair of antique, 18th century,circa 1700-1800 A.D. Islamic Turkish Ottoman Tombak Stirrups, comprising two stirrups, each with the convex and flaring rectangular base with foliate sides and arched cross bar with elliptical suspension loop, the exterior side panels chased and engraved with a floral wreath. The stirrups are made of copper alloy and they were previously gold gild (the gold gilding is completely worn). 
 

This type of the Turkish Ottoman stirrups has been used by high ranking Ottomans Army officials. These types of the stirrups are very rare and important objects of Turkish Ottoman Islamic Art and only a few of them survived to the present day, mostly in the most important world museum’s collections including the famous Topkapı Sarayı Museum. 
 

REFERENCES:

1. An almost identical single stirrup dated by the Museum Experts to the 17th century from the Hungarian national museum is published in the Hungarian book Díszes Nyergek, Lószerszámok by Temesvari Ferenc, illustration No 83 together with other related stirrup. Please see the last picture in the listing.

2. A comparable Turkish Ottoman Stirrups are also published in the

Sultanların silahları: Topkapı Sarayı Silah Kolleksiyonu by Hilmi Aydın, Istanbul 2007.

3. Tombak by Gündag Kayaoglu, Turkey, 1992. 
 

CONDITION: Showing age and usage, since the gold gilding over the years got worn out and created irregular and uneven spots of gold gilding and the darker copper. Someone who used this stirrup, most likely in the 19th century, decided to remove professionally the leftovers of the gilding, to make the surface of the stirrups even and free of discoloration, in this circumstance the remains of gilding can be seen only in some minor spots. One of the stirrups has an old repair by the two-reinforcing triangular plaques in the interior, on both sides, below the arched cross bar, some minor splits on the joining of the base with the sides 
 

This practice of removing the leftovers of the gilding from the Tombak to improve the look can be seen in the book Tombak, by Gündag Kayaoglu, Turkey, 1992. where it is published an similar stirrup with completely removed gilding. 

DIMENSIONS: 

Approximately: Length: 22 cm (8.66 inches) 

Height: 19 cm (7.48 inches) 

Width: 13.7 cm (5.39 inches)