A DIAMOND-SET AND ENAMELLED SWORD SCABBARD CHAPE FEATURING THE ORDER OF THE CRESCENT OF SULTAN SELIM III (R.1789-1807), SWISS FOR THE OTTOMAN MARKET, CIRCA 1799

Christie's Geneva, 18 November 1981, lot 9; private collection, UK.

Found on the bed of the River Thames at Old Windsor, 1973, registered as treasure trove.

Sultan Selim III was the twenty-eighth Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and reigned from 1789 to 1807. A forward-looking and reform-minded Sultan, one of his aims was to solidify ties with Europe. The present chape would have formed part of an impressive scabbard for a presentation sword intended as a diplomatic gift.

The present lot was an extraordinary discovery found in the River Thames at Old Windsor in 1973. Admiral Horatio Nelson (1758-1805) was the first recipient of the Order of the Crescent by Sultan Selim III (r.1789-1807) following his victory at the Nile in 1799. An embroidered version of this Order belonging to Nelson is now in the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, inv. no.REL0120). It is possible that the sword to which this chape belongs was awarded to Nelson or another of the small number of British recipients to receive the honour. The Sultan eventually recognised Napoleon as Emperor in 1804 and declared war on Great Britain and Russia in 1806. Therefore, this chape must have been presented between 1799 and 1805.