Enrica Medugno
Senior Sale Coordinator
Property from the Mohammed Khalil Collection
Lot 65*,R
A rare Ilkhanid steel sword (kilij) Persia, 13th/14th Century
12 November 2024, 11:00 GMT
London, New Bond Street£10,000 - £15,000
Looking for a similar item?
Our Islamic and Indian Art specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.
Find your local specialistAsk about this lot
Oliver White
Head of Department
A rare Ilkhanid steel sword (kilij)
Persia, 13th/14th Century
Persia, 13th/14th Century
the single-edged steel blade of curved form with flattened spine, yelman and doubled-edged section towards point, steel crossguard, three pins to tang
97.5 cm. long
97.5 cm. long
Footnotes
Provenance
The Mohammed Khalil Collection.
Published
The Legacy of Genghis Khan: Courtly Art and Culture in Western Asia, 1256-1353, New York 2002, p.13, fig.7 and p.272, no.136.
M. K. Ibrahim, Islamic Arms and Armour, Vol. I, United Arab Emirates, 2022, p. 491, cat. no. 293.
Exhibited
The Legacy of Genghis Khan: Courtly Art and Culture in Western Asia, 1256-1353, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 5 November 2002 - 16 February 2003.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 13 April - 27 July 2003.
This rare sword serves as a vital link bridging the gap between the protosabers wielded by Eurasian steppe nomads from the 6th to the 12th Century and the fully developed Western Asian sword forms of the later 15th Century. It was most likely made for a nomadic horseman in Northeastern Iran during the Ilkhanid period (1256-1353).
Important Notice to Buyers
Some countries, e.g., the US, prohibit or restrict the purchase by its citizens (wherever located) and/or the import of certain types of works of particular origins. As a convenience to buyers, Bonhams has marked with the symbol R all lots of Iranian (Persian) and Syrian origin. It is each buyer's responsibility to ensure that they do not bid on or import a lot in contravention of the sanctions or trade embargoes that apply to them.