An unusual gold-koftgari steel axe head
Sialkhot, 18th/ 19th Century
of elongated slightly curved form with flattened spine, the butt of multifaceted form, decorated in gold overlay with vegetal interlace, an inscription to one side
28.5 cm. long
Footnotes:
Provenance
The Mohammed Khalil Collection.

Published
M. K. Ibrahim, Islamic Arms and Armour, Vol. II, United Arab Emirates, 2022, p. 790, cat. no. 640.

Inscriptions: sialkot ghulam muhyi al-din valad-i karam al-din bazar-i loharan, 'Sialkot. Ghulam Muhyi al-Din, son of Karam al-Din, the Loharan Bazaar.'

Two axes of the same form were presented to King Edward VII, when Prince of Wales, during his tour of India in 1875-76 by Udit Pratap Deo, Raja of Karond (RCIN 38191). They can be seen in a photograph of the ball room at Sandringham (see Purdon Clark, Catalogue of the Collection of Indian Arms and Armour at Sandringham. The Indian Collection presented by the Princes, Chiefs and Nobles of India to His Majesty King Edward VII, when Prince of Wales, on the occasion of his visit to India in 1875-76, London, 1910, plate 9).
This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: *
* VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.