Enrica Medugno
Senior Sale Coordinator
Property from the Mohammed Khalil Collection
Lot 72*,R
A rare Mamluk steel sword Egypt or Syria, 14th/ 15th Century
12 November 2024, 11:00 GMT
London, New Bond Street£40,000 - £60,000
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Oliver White
Head of Department
A rare Mamluk steel sword
Egypt or Syria, 14th/ 15th Century
Egypt or Syria, 14th/ 15th Century
the European straight double-edged steel blade with wide central fuller to both sides, the forte with inscription to one side, and three copper-inlaid circles, the iron hilt comprising bluntly beaked quillons each pierced with two circular holes, with cushion-shaped pommel of trilobate form, original leather-covered wooden grip, suspension loop to one side
93.1 cm. long
93.1 cm. long
Footnotes
Provenance
Hermann Historica, Ausgesuchte Sammlungsstücke, Munich, 9 October 2008, lot 406.
The Mohammed Khalil Collection.
Published
M. K. Ibrahim, Islamic Arms and Armour, Vol. I, United Arab Emirates, 2022, p. 266, cat. no. 54.
Inscriptions: traces of possibly wali .... thamanami'a (?), 'Governor .... Eight hundred (?)'
For swords of similar form in the Istanbul Military Museum, Istanbul, see Ünsal Yücel, Islamic Swords And Swordsmiths, 2001, pp. 121-124, pls. 80-83; and D.G. Alexander, 'European Swords in the Collections of Istanbul, Part I. Swords from the Arsenal of Alexandria', Waffen-und Kostümkunde, 27/2 (1985), pp. 81-118, pls. 64-74. Alexander states 'These swords are the most enigmatic of the entire group, their origin is unclear and it is difficult to say whether they are Byzantine or Islamic. None of these swords is dated but a number of them have dedicatory inscriptions in the name of the Emir Yalbughă. This is perhaps the Emir Yalbughă at-Tamurri who was governor (atabeg) of Cairo in 1361. He was therefore governor at the time of King Peter of Cyprus' invasion in 1365'.
For two further examples in the Furusiyya Art Foundation Collection, see Bashir Mohamed, The Arts of the Muslim Knight, 2007, p.42-3, figs. 11 & 12; see also Stuart W. Pyhrr, 'The Ottoman Arsenal in Hagia Eirene: Some Early Photographs and Visitors' Accounts', The Spring 2007 London Park Lane Arms Fair Guide, 2007, pp. 29-46, fig. 9 for two examples among a panoply of arms in Hagia Eirene photographed in 1891. Some comparable swords sold at auction include Sotheby's, Arts of the Islamic World, 1 April 2009, lot 153; Sotheby's, Arts of the Islamic World, 6 October 2010, lot 248; and Bonhams, Antique Arms and Armour, 26 May 2021, lot 72.
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.