Made of pasteboard, finely lacquered with roses and nightengales.
This item has been sold.
Overall length
67.3 cm
Head size
14 cm wide edge
11.9 cm long
3.4 cm hammer width
Weight
1037 grams
Point of balance
44 cm from pommel
Materials
Iron, wootz steel, silver, gold
Dating
18th to early 19th century
(Late Safavid, Afsharid, Zand or early Qajar)
Provenance
From a British private collector
Sold
Description
A Persian axe with a crescent moon-shaped blade. Blade made of fine wootz steel, its details brought out in a recent polish and etch. Both sides of the blade are chiseled with a predator bird and its prey, a common Persian motif. Floral engravings appear on the flat of the hammer.
Further decoration includes fine gold overlay on all sides of the head, including fine decorative borders along the back contour of the blade, and decorative work on top and bottom of the axe head. All gold overlay is largely intact.
The execution of both the chiseled work and the gold overlay is much better than normally encountered on these.
The haft is made of steel, largely of the faceted cross-section with silver overlay on all sides. The top and bottom are capped with iron caps, the top overlaid with gold, the bottom with silver decoration.
Currently available:
The only set of its type known to me in both private and museum collections.
Price on request
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