Saber, 16th century; Ottoman Turkish Steel inlaid with gold, precious stones, fishskin The blade is chiseled in relief with Quranic verses, the surrounding areas inlaid with gold. The inscriptions refer to victory in the Holy War and to the magical powers of the biblical King Solomon (Süleyman). It seems likely that this unique blade was made for the Ottoman sultan Süleyman I (r. 1520–66). The guard is chiseled with gold-damascened flowers and was formerly inlaid with rubies. The grip, covered with fishskin dyed green, is a later replacement.
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 15:17:56 +0000
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