Sword (Shamshir) with Scabbard and Belt

hilt, scabbard, and belt, Indian; blade, northern India

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The hilt of this saber is mounted in enameled silver in a style associated with the north Indian city of Lucknow, in the Mughal province of Oudh. The blade of crucible (“watered”) steel is exceptionally rare, as it includes the name of the maker, Baqir Mashhadi, an Iranian swordsmith active in India, his patron, Safdar Jang Bahadur, an Iranian who ruled as nawab (governor) of Oudh from 1739 to 1754, and the date of its manufacture.

Sword (Shamshir) with Scabbard and Belt, Steel, gold, ivory, wood, enamel, velvet, silver, textile, hilt, scabbard, and belt, Indian; blade, northern India

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