A sword with gold inlaid green glass hilt, Partabgarh or Indore, India, circa 1850

the curved single-edged watered-steel blade with overlaid gold cartouched inscription to back, the hilt with faceted grip and down-turned quillons decorated with panels of green glass inlaid with gold tracery with courtiers, dancing girls and peacocks within a wooded background, the quillons and pommel with silver-gilt lion heads set with gems

inscriptions

The bismala followed by a Persian couplet (not all deciphered) and then 'There is no youth [as brave as] 'Ali, no sword [as sharp as] dhu'l-faqar.  Also the names: 'Aba Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman, Haydar (i,e. 'Ali)'

In the nineteenth century the towns of Indore and Rutlam in Madhya Pradesh and Partabgarh in Southern Rajasthan were associated with the production of this distinctive gold tracery and coloured glass work, (see Stronge 1988, pp.105-109 for a further discussion of this group).