Page 157 - The Age of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent

89. Gold-inlaid kiliç and scabbard, second quarter sixteenth century,
(Istanbul, Topkapi Sarayi Miizesi, 1/294)

Another sword and scabbard dating from the same period
(89) shows a variation in the technique of its decoration.
Similar to the previous example, it has a faceted hilt covered
with black leather and a gold-inlaid blackened steel pommel
and guard with elongated quillons and pointed prongs. The
blade is so heavily abraded that there is now only a trace of
the original inscription and design. The scabbard, also cov-
ered with black leather, has a gold-inlaid steel lower chape
and two sling mounts with rings; the upper chape and parts
of the steel mounts are missing.
The hilt is original and slightly inclined, counterbalancing
the curve of the blade. Its faceted pommel has a gold-inlaid
rumi band along the edge; the central panel is inlaid with su-
perimposed hatayi and rumi scrolls that lie flush with the
surface; the flanking panels also have two layers of scrolls,
the lower one bearing flattened blossoms and the upper one
showing cloud bands in relief. The band encircling the upper
edge of the pommel displays four cartouches inscribed with a
pair of Persian couplets rendered in talik 85 and interspersed
with small blossoms set with rubies. Stones were originally
set into the deep sockets in the central panel of the hilt. The
guard combines the motifs used on the handle and has a flat
floral scroll over which are cloud bands and rumis executed
in relief. On one side of the hilt is a gold-inlaid, scaly fish.
The gold-inlaid steel components of the scabbard also com-
bine filigreed rumis, flat floral scrolls, and raised cloud bands.
In some areas, more specifically the middle bars of the sling
mounts and the back portion of the lower chape, the designs
are rendered in reserve, contrasting the gold and blackened
steel backgrounds. The combination of thin inlays flush with
the surface and thickly applied raised elements with chased Detail of hilt, 89

156