A Rare and Complete Silver-Hilted Ottoman Sword, Turkey, Early 16th Century

with steel blade, double-edged towards the tip, silver hilt decorated at the square with an engraved flowerhead, two stylised rosette rivets embossed on either side of the grip with distinct inward curve, rounded pommel and finger thorn, the elongated quillons tapering and flaring out towards florally engraved terminals

Blade has deteriated with some chips along the bottom edge and top edge at the tip, as viewed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Complete swords from the 16th-century Ottoman Empire are extremely rare, the original blades often having been re-used and re-fitted to other hilts according to changes in design and taste. Since the hilt here is made from a non-ferrous metal, it has not deteriorated in the way the blade has and as such provides us with an excellent example of a 16th-century hilt which, to a certain extent, is unique.

The unusual inner-curved design of this sword's grip appears to lie between two descriptions of Ottoman hilts of this period by Unsal Yucel (Islamic Swords and Swordsmiths, 2001) in which he notes a more elliptical form than the one present here. A miniature dating to the late 15th century held in the Museum of Decorative Arts, Tehran, however, depicts a scene of Ali fighting the demons, his sword's hilt with a very similar curved grip and pommel design, also incorporating a separately cut quillon block of the same material, as with this sword (see Papadopoulo, Islam and Muslim Art, 1980, no.110).

As in the above example, hilts of one colour, i.e. silver or gold, tend to have royal or honoured connections. The Prophet Muhammad's sword (as recorded after his death by Ibn Sa'd - d. A.D. 845) also bore a silver hilt. It seems very likely that his sword would have been replicated in his honour, although the existing sword attributed to The Prophet in the Topkapi Palace Museum has a golden hilt.  The sword of the Ottoman emperor Beyazit II, which dates to the late-fifteenth/ early-sixteenth century and housed in the Topkapi Saray Museum (which contains the largest surviving collection of swords of this kind) illustrates an important associated style, demonstrating a similar grip and pommel but with an exaggerated finger-thorn. This particular example, however, represents a style that does not exactly match any within the collection.

The patina of the blade has deep pitting suggesting weathering over a long period of time, and there is a good chance that this sword came from the prestigious source of the Eirene Arsenal, Istanbul, where many swords were housed in damp conditions for hundreds of years.