Page 136 - ART OF THE ISLAMIC AND INDIAN WORLDS Carpets, Ceramics Objects, Christie's London Oct..27, 2022

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111 A WALRUS IVORY AND GOLD MOUNTED KINJAL
CAUCASUS, LATE 19TH CENTURY
A MAGNIFICENT ENAMELLED FLINTLOCK GUN (JEZAIL) The Talpurs were known as connoisseurs of fine weapons, including guns
MADE FOR MIR' ALI MURAD KHAN TALPUR, THE RULER OF and swords. The inscription on the barrel of this rifle reveals that the gun Of traditional form, the walrus ivory handle carved with scrolling foliate decoration and the
KHAYRPUR, SIND, NORTH INDIA, 1823-33 AD, THE BARREL SIND, was made for Mir ‘Ali Murad Khan Talpur (b. 1815), one of the ruling Amirs figure of Imam Shamil, the blade with a groove either side inlaid in gold with inscriptions
LAST QUARTER OF THE 18TH - FIRST QUARTER OF THE 19TH of Khairpur province, in Upper Sind. Mir ‘Ali Murad Khan Talpur, brother of and scrolling vine, the scabbard with gold mounts showing two of Imam Shamil's Na'ibs
CENTURY; THE GOLD FITTINGS SIND, SECOND QUARTER OF THE the senior Amir at Khairpur, Mir Rustam Khan, was described by Thomas at the top and Napoleon Bonaparte below, inscribed and dated on the grip, the scabbard
19TH CENTURY; THE LOCK EUROPEAN, PROBABLY ENGLISH, EARLY housing a small walrus ivory hilted hand knife
19TH CENTURY Postans, writing in 1843, as having ‘unbounded ambition and great tact 22q in. (57 cm.) long, with scabbard
combined with considerable talent’, while holding himself aloof from
The octagonal pattern-welded steel barrel with thick gold damascened rococo interference in his affairs and was ‘consistent and unswerving in his purpose £20,000-30,000 US$23,000-34,000
designs at each end, also damascened by the lock with the name of the patron, €23,000-34,000
set in a wooden stock with broad curved and widening butt, mounted with a of independence and aggrandizement’. Mir ‘Ali Murad became closely
number of matching enamelled gold panels and retaining bands, the English linked to the British shortly before the annexation of Sind. Khairpur province
lock with gold-inlaid decoration signed J.J. Wilkenson, gold decorated fitted remained independent after General Sir Charles Napier commanding the PROVENANCE:
Collection of José Mesquita, Brazil, from 1930s-1940s.
ramrod, lower butt mount replaced, upper butt mount and pin socket with loss British forces had defeated the Talpurs at the battles of Miyani and Duppa Received as a gift from the above by Raul Paletto (c.1903-?) in the early 1950s.
of enamel, in fitted case in 1843 (AH 1259) and subsequently annexed Sind. Because of his loyalty to By descent to Carlota Paletto (1910-2001) in the late 1950s-early 1960s.
54q in. (138.5cm.) long the British, Mir ‘Ali Murad was allowed to retain Khairpur and take the title
By descent to Olintho Italo Vicente Pedro Mazarella (1922-2006).
of Ra’is (senior Amir) of Upper Sind. The identification of the inscription on
£100,000-150,000 US$120,000-170,000 Acquired from the above by the previous owner in 2004.
€120,000-170,000 the butt plaque 'Kandawala’ is not clear, but may be the name of an official Acquired from the above by the present owner in 2006.
or perhaps a treasurer. For a detailed account on ‘Mir ‘Ali Murad and the
INSCRIPTIONS:
annexation of Sind see Thomas Postans, Personal Observations on Sindh,
INSCRIPTIONS: On the blade, dama [sic] iqbaluhu wa dawlatuhu wa barakatuhu abadan 'amaluhu [sic] wa
On the left hand side of the barrel in cursive script, 'Sarkar Mir 'Ali Murad Khan Sindh, 1843. malikuhu hajj ahmad bin hajja [sic] Muhammad 'May his prosperity, wealth and blessings
Talpur, help O 'Ali!' be everlasting. It’s maker and owner, Hajj Ahmad bin Hajja [sic] Muhammad'
Our example is one of a small number of very finely decorated guns made
for a few members of the Talpur family. Further known examples include On the grip, … al-haji ahmad bin haji mehmed', … al-Haji Ahmad bin Haji Mehmed'
one in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (inv. no. 36.25.2152) and
two are in the Khalili Collection (David Alexander, The Arts of War, Arms and The carved figure on the walrus ivory handle appears to depict the Caucasian leader
Armour of the 7th to 19th centuries, London, 1992, 136-138, pp.202-205). Two Imam Shamil (1797-1871), the third Imam of the Caucasian Imamate. Although slightly
more examples are now in the al-Thani Collection, Qatar, having been sold altered, this full-body image may be inspired by Theodor Horschelt's (1829-1871)
at Sotheby's, London, 8 May 1997, lots 72 and 73, see also Treasures of Islam, painting Captive Shamil in front of the Commander-in-Chief Prince Bariatinsky on 25
exhibition catalogue, Geneva, 1985, no.332. Two further examples are noted August 1859 (1863, Collection of the Dagestan Museum of Fine Arts, Makhachkala)
in the Indian Museum by Lord Egerton of Tatton (An Illustrated Handbook showing Shamil's capitulation.
of Indian Arms and Those of Nepal, Burma, Thailand and Malaya, London,
1896, nos.733 and 736, pl.IV and p.139). A few further examples but with The figures on the upper mount of the scabbard appear to be two of Imam Shamil’s
considerably less elaborate mounts are also known. Na'ibs – local leaders in Dagestan during the Caucasian Imamate. They are shown
wearing traditional Caucasian fur hats and cherkeskas.
The full-body depiction on the lower edge of the scabbard seems to be of Napoleon
Bonaparte (1769-1821) and is similar to the figure in Vasily Vereshchagin's (1842-1904)
painting Napoleon watching the fire of Moscow (Fire in the Kremlin) (1887-1898) from the
series Napoleon in Russia which has been widely reproduced in literature.

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fee are also payable if the lot has a tax or λ symbol. Check Section D of the Conditions of Sale at the back of this catalogue.