Abbasi talwar thumbnail 1
Abbasi talwar thumbnail 2
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On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Abbasi talwar

Sword
18th Century (made)
Artist/Maker
Ali Muhammad Shirazi (maker)
Unknown
Place of origin
Udaipur (made)
Sind (made)
Iran (made)

Watered steel blade, inlaid with numerous inscriptions in cartouches along the blade with a hilt decorated with delicate floral arabesques.

Object details

Categories
Arms & Armour
Islam
India Museum
Object type
Sword
TitleAbbasi talwar (popular title)
Materials and techniques
Crucible forged steel blade with an iron hilt incised and inlaid with gold kuftkari
Forging (Metal Forming)
Koftgari
Brief description
Abbasi talwar with watered steel blade, decorated with incised and inscribed ornament in gold kuftkari; blade, Sind or Iran; hilt, Udaipur, Rajasthan; 18th Century
Physical description
Watered steel blade, inlaid with numerous inscriptions in cartouches along the blade with a hilt decorated with delicate floral arabesques.
Dimensions
  • Length: 94.5cm
  • Of blade curvature depth: 15cm
Gallery label
(30.06.2011)
Jameel Gallery

14 Sword
Iran or Sind
1700-1800

The swordmakers of Safavid Iran had great prestige, which outlived the dynasty's loss of power in 1722. This blade resembles Safavid examples, and the name of its maker, Ali Muhammad Shirazi, is of Iranian origin. But other inscriptions show it belonged to the Talpur rulers of Sind, now in Pakistan. They were at the height of their power between 1783 and 1843.

Watered steel and gold; iron with gold inlay

Museum no. 3328(IS)
Production
Assigned M.89-1949 on Transfer to Metalwork Department, but number never initiated. Originally with a green velvet sheath with pierced gold mounts
Bibliographic references
  • Lord Egerton of Tatton, Indian and Oriental Armour, London, 1896, p. 110, Cat. No. 401
  • Anthony North, An Introduction to Islamic Arms, London 1985, fig. 30b, p.34
  • Egerton, Wilbraham, An illustrated handbook of Indian arms; being a classified and descriptive catalogue of the arms exhibited at the India museum: with an introductory sketch of the military history of India, London, 1880 p.110
Other numbers
  • 401 - Egerton Catalogue number
  • 8682-'55 - India Museum Slip Book
  • M.89-1949 - Incorrect number
Collection
Metalwork Collection
Accession number
3328(IS)

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Record createdJune 26, 2001
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O60323/abbasi-talwar-sword-ali-muhammad-shirazi/
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