POSSIBLY JAIPUR, NORTH INDIA, 19TH CENTURY

This elaborate hilt is lavishly decorated with rose cut and lasque cut diamonds set in gold mounts against an enamelled ground. This ground is red on one side and green on the other. Such elaborate decoration follows the Mughal tradition of gem-set and enamelled blade weapons. The courts of North India practiced elaborate gifting practices in which finely decorated and jewelled swords and daggers were bestowed on those who had earned favour. This is extensively recorded in the biographies of the Mughal emperors and depicted in their illustrations, notably those of the Padshahnama.

From the 17^th century visitors arriving at the courts of Indian rulers were greatly impressed by the material splendour their found. The lavishness of the interiors that greeted them, highlighted with small accents given by enamelled and jewelled objects, rarely failed to be noted. Sir Thomas Roe, who was sent as an embassy to Jahangir in 1615-18 described the Mughal court as 'the treasury of the world' (Susan Strong, Nima Smith and J.C. Harle, A Golden Treasury. Jewellery from the Indian Subcontinent, London, 1989, p.27). This hilt is an example of the type of object that would have created this rich impression, a way of expressing wealth, and by implication status and military prowess.

The contrasting green and red enamelled ground is also found on a hilt in the Royal Collection, Windsor (RCIN 11350). That sword was gifted to King Edward VII on his tour of India in 1875 by the Maharao of Cutch. The scabbard of that sword was most likely made by goldsmiths in cutch, but the sword itself has a Bikaner armoury stamp indicating it was made earlier in the 19^th century, possibly in Jaipur. Although the hilt of the Royal Collection sword is in the form of a leopard rather than the typical tulwar form of our hilt, the arrangement of the diamonds relates closely to that of the present lot as well as the small green and blue highlights in the red enamel to indicate leaves issuing from the gold stems formed by the diamond settings. This style of contrasting enamelled grounds and similar gem setting is found on the hilt of a dagger, attributed to mid-19^th century Jaipur, in the Khalili Collection (acc. no. MTW 1375; P. M. Carvalho, Gems and Jewels of Mughal India: Jewelled and Enamelled Objects from the 16^th to 20^th Centuries, Oxford, 2010, no. 114, pp. 216-17).

The inside of the knuckle bow on our hilt is similar to other Jaipur enamels and relates to the neck of a flask from 18^th century Jaipur, also in the Khalili Collection (acc. no. JLY 1803; op. cit., no. 116, pp. 220-221). The bottom of the neck of the Khalili flask has cartouches containing flowers and birds in green and red enamel with pale blue details against a plain gold ground very similar to the decoration on the inside of the knuckle bow. The similarity between our tulwar hilt and the Royal Collection and two Khalili Collection examples would suggest it was created in North India in the early or mid-19^th century.

A gemset and enamelled tulwar hilt made in the second half of the 19^th century in North India for the Raja of Nabha is similar in form and decoration to the present lot and was sold in these Rooms, 21 April 2016, lot 34. The colours used in the enamelling of our hilt – red, green, light blue and white – also relates to a pair of 18^th century Mughal khanda hilts sold in these Rooms, 10 October 2013, lots 185 and 186. Another enamelled and gem set tulwar hilt, earlier than ours and without a knuckle guard, was formerly part of the Al-Thani Collection and sold in our New York Rooms 19 June 2019, lot 243. That hilt, possibly made in Jaipur, has a red ground throughout yet the flowerhead pattern settings of the diamonds, stones set into the ends of the quillons and flecks of green enamel detailing may suggest a similar location of manufacture with the former Al-Thani hilt an earlier iteration of the present lot.