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Lot Essay
On the flat of the blade in Urdu: talwar-e sehra ke ... Zulfiqar Khan 'sword beginning to ... Zulfiqar Khan'
On the underside of the knucklebow in Hindi: shri radha vallabh ji sahaye, sewak ratan singh ji ... wat ... banai 'may Shri Radha vallabha - Krishna, beloved of Radha - be the protector. Made by (?) the servant of Ratan Singh ...wat'
The blade of this sword is inscribed with the name of Zulfiqar Khan, the title given to Muhammad Isma'il, son of the powerful Iranian Vizier of the Emperor Aurangzeb Asad Khan. Muhammad Isma'il had a distinguished military career in the Deccan, first against the Sultanates of Golconda and Bijapur and later against the Mahrattas. Following his capture of the stronghold of Raigarh from Raja Ram Bhonsle, Isma'il was awarded the title Zulfiqar Khan and, later, Nusrat Jung. Following more successes against the Mahrattas, Aurangzeb promoted Zulfiqar Khan to the position of first Nawab of the Carnatic.
Following his successes in the Deccan, Zulfiqar Khan retired to Bikaner before re-entering politics to support Jahandar Shah in claiming the Mughal throne after the death of Bahadur Shah I in 1712. Acting as Vizier, the statesman was de facto ruler of the Mughal Empire. However, with the defeat of Jahandar Shah by Farrukhsiyar, Zulfiqar Khan was arrested and subsequently executed in 1713.
Whilst the blade is a typical fighting quality, the hilt is very finely made. The inscription on the underside of the knucklebow in Hindi mentions the name Ratan Singh, ruler of Mewar in the 14th century whose capital was the fortress of Chittorgarh. As such, we might expect the hilt to have been made for the court of Udaipur. Robert Elgood notes that hilts of this form, with the knucklebow and larger pommel disk became popular during the reign of Aurangzeb or later, which supports the link to Zulfiqar Khan (Robert Elgood, Arms and Armour at the Jaipur Court, New Delhi, 2015, pp.117-118).
On the underside of the knucklebow in Hindi: shri radha vallabh ji sahaye, sewak ratan singh ji ... wat ... banai 'may Shri Radha vallabha - Krishna, beloved of Radha - be the protector. Made by (?) the servant of Ratan Singh ...wat'
The blade of this sword is inscribed with the name of Zulfiqar Khan, the title given to Muhammad Isma'il, son of the powerful Iranian Vizier of the Emperor Aurangzeb Asad Khan. Muhammad Isma'il had a distinguished military career in the Deccan, first against the Sultanates of Golconda and Bijapur and later against the Mahrattas. Following his capture of the stronghold of Raigarh from Raja Ram Bhonsle, Isma'il was awarded the title Zulfiqar Khan and, later, Nusrat Jung. Following more successes against the Mahrattas, Aurangzeb promoted Zulfiqar Khan to the position of first Nawab of the Carnatic.
Following his successes in the Deccan, Zulfiqar Khan retired to Bikaner before re-entering politics to support Jahandar Shah in claiming the Mughal throne after the death of Bahadur Shah I in 1712. Acting as Vizier, the statesman was de facto ruler of the Mughal Empire. However, with the defeat of Jahandar Shah by Farrukhsiyar, Zulfiqar Khan was arrested and subsequently executed in 1713.
Whilst the blade is a typical fighting quality, the hilt is very finely made. The inscription on the underside of the knucklebow in Hindi mentions the name Ratan Singh, ruler of Mewar in the 14th century whose capital was the fortress of Chittorgarh. As such, we might expect the hilt to have been made for the court of Udaipur. Robert Elgood notes that hilts of this form, with the knucklebow and larger pommel disk became popular during the reign of Aurangzeb or later, which supports the link to Zulfiqar Khan (Robert Elgood, Arms and Armour at the Jaipur Court, New Delhi, 2015, pp.117-118).