POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

Sword شمشیر

Object No. H7905

This sword was handcrafted in 19th-century Persia (Iran), probably under the patronage of a Qajar family, by one of the master sword makers (shamshirsaz) from the city of Isfahan, known for the production of this series of crafts since the 15th century. During the Qajar era (1789 -1925), and especially during the reign of King Nasser al-Din (1848-1896), the public rituals and performances related to the martyrdom of the third Shiite Imam (saint), Hoseyn ibn-Ali (626 AD - 680 AD), the Prince of Martyrs, became popular in Iranian society. As a result, a range of handmade ceremonial material culture and ritualistic visual pieties was created, and consequently similar high-quality crafts were adopted for the Persian market. The main body of this curved wedge-shaped blade is made of steel (foulad). The sword's handle slabs are made of walrus ivory and the spatulated quillons, cross-guard (bolchaq) and pommel cap (kolahak) are made of steel, decorated with engraved gold-overlay floral motifs. The underside of this sword has two beautifully embedded gold-inlaid cartouches: the upper one reads "The Slave of the Kingdom Trusteeship of Ali, Abbass" (Bandey-e Shah-e Velayat Abbass), which translates as "[The King] Abbass is the representative of [Imam] Ali's rule and acts on his behalf [on Earth]." The lower cartouche presents the sword-maker's mark, "The work of Assadollah" (amal-e Assadollah). Similar to other Qajar metal arms and armour in the Powerhouse collection (H4099, A1425, H6667, H4099-2), this sword was used by male performers for Taziyeh - a type of public religious theatre depicting scenes of the martyrdom of Imam Hoseyn (Seyed al-Shohada), the grandchild of the Prophet Mohammad - during the month of Moharram in Iran. Engraved inscription The upper side بنده شاه ولایت عباس The Slave of the Kingdom Trusteeship of Ali, Abbass. عمل اسد الله The work of Assadollah. Dr Pedram Khosronejad, Curator of Persian Arts, 2021

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Summary

Object Statement

Sword, steel / walrus ivory / gold overlay, Isfahan, Persia (Iran), Qajar era, 1800s

Physical Description

The main body of this curved wedge-shaped blade is made of steel (foulad). The sword's handle slabs are made of walrus ivory and the spatulated quillons, cross-guard (bolchaq) and pommel cap (kolahak) are made of steel, decorated with engraved gold-overlay floral motifs.

DIMENSIONS

Height

25 mm

Depth

170 mm

PRODUCTION

Notes

This sword was handcrafted in 19th-century Persia (Iran), probably under the patronage of a Qajar family, by one of the master sword makers (shamshirsaz) from the city of Isfahan, known for the production of this series of crafts since the 15th century.

SOURCE

Credit Line

Gift of H Banning, 1966

Acquisition Date

23 March 1966

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