

Lot 255
A fine and rare Ottoman carved ebony-hilted steel Knife probably Damascus, 17th Century(2)
10 April 2008, 14:30 BST
London, New Bond StreetSold for £13,200 inc. premium
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Find your local specialistA fine and rare Ottoman carved ebony-hilted steel Knife
probably Damascus, 17th Century
probably Damascus, 17th Century
with watered steel, tapering blade, the hilt and scabbard delicately carved in low relief with a repeat design of bands of grapes on leafy vines, the scabbard similarly decorated, with bud finial, the pommel set with a colourless paste
38 cm. long including scabbard(2)
38 cm. long including scabbard(2)
Footnotes
The carving on the hilt and scabbard is of exceptional quality. The craftsman has used a popular Ottoman 16th Century design. The grape design was first used on Iznik pottery between 1550 and 1560, in imitation of the Ming style. It is very rare to find it on arms.
The form of the knife can be compared to 17th and 18th Century Ottoman knives with jade and coral hilts in the Furusiyya Art Foundation Collection, see Bashir Mohamed, The Arts of teh Muslim Knight, Italy, 2007, nos. 161, 162.