Not currently on display at the V&A

Parrying Shield

19th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
Datia (made)

Black buck antelope horns riveted in opposing directions to a small circular hand guard of steel with a large centralgilt boss, tipped with steel points, with a grooved steel dagger projecting from beneath the shield. The steel is decorated with gold kuftkari.


Object details

Categories
Arms & Armour
India Museum
Object type
Parrying shield
Materials and techniques
Black buck horn with steel decorated with gold kuftkari
Brief description
Parrying shield of steel tipped antelope horns with a central steel boss with projecting dagger blade attached, Datia, 19th century,
Physical description
Black buck antelope horns riveted in opposing directions to a small circular hand guard of steel with a large centralgilt boss, tipped with steel points, with a grooved steel dagger projecting from beneath the shield. The steel is decorated with gold kuftkari.
Credit line
Transferred from the India Museum in 1879
Historical context
Datia was founded in 1626 and became a major manufacturing centre for traditional arms and armour. It was one of the major arsenals dismantled by the British in the 1860's in a major disarmament of the subcontinent post 1857.
Production
Datia. Transferred from the India Museum to South Kensington Museum in 1879
Bibliographic references
  • Lord Egerton of Tatton, Indian and Oriental Armour, London, 1896, p. 133, Cat. No. 694
  • 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.133
Other numbers
  • 694 - Egerton Catalogue Number
  • 7443 - India Museum Slip Book
Collection
South & South East Asia Collection
Accession number
3240(IS)

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Record createdSeptember 9, 2003
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O84108/parrying-shield-unknown/
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