Inlaid Talwar Hilt

India, 18th century
Blackened steel inlaid with gold and silver
16 cm high, 8.5 cm wide
Stock no.: A5945

Provenance: Spink and Son Ltd., London, 1998;
Philippe Missillier Collection no.97C.

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Inlaid Talwar Hilt

An exceptionally fine Indian talwar hilt, of blackened steel inlaid with silver and gold. Two different inlay techniques are used side by side on the same hilt, which is exceedingly rare. The underside of the pommel disc and panels on each side of the grip feature flush koftgari inlay, whilst the top of the pommel disc, the cross guard, and the sides of the grip, feature decoration carved in relief.

A talwar in the Royal Collection Trust, England (accession no. RCIN 11237) which was gifted to the future King Edward VII in 1875 has a similar combination of flat inlay and relief carving on its hilt. The sword is attributed to Madhya Pradesh, has a combination of flat inlay and relief carving. It is attributed to Madhya Pradesh. Another talwar owned by Philippe Missillier and exhibited in Splendeurs des armes orientales, 1988, shares the same combination of different inlays.¹ It was attributed to Deccan, probably Hyderabad, and dated to the late 17th or early 18th century.

[1] Missillier, Philippe, and Howard Ricketts. Splendeur des armes orientales. Paris: ACTE-EXPO, 1988, cat. 147, p. 91.

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