Object Description
A Tabarzin, Indian saddle-axe from Bikaner, 19th Century
Indian, 19th Century
Height 56cm, width 12.5cm, depth 4cm
This magnificent piece is a tabarzin, a battle saddle-axe, made in North West India in Bikaner sometime in the early nineteenth century. The head of the axe is engraved with intricate floral motifs, the handle superbly decorated with an ornate chased gilt pattern along its length. Dense and beautiful floral scroll patterns line its length, and the base unscrews to reveal a stunning hidden dagger, that is approximately a third of the axe’s length. Pieces such as these are Indo-Persian, heavily indebted to Persian tabar axes, and
comparable examples are to be found in the Victoria & Albert Museum in London (inv. no.111-1888, inv. no.2402) and in the Wallace Collection, London (OA 1548). A remarkable item of military history, and a display of outstanding Indian craftsmanship, this is a museum-level collector’s piece.