sword stick

Indian swordstick, Gupti. The gilt brass handle is chased with flowering foliage, and terminates with a stylised lion’s head pommel. Identical work is commonly found on the eponymous “Bhuj”.

Note: koft = gold, koftgar = the craftsman inlaying or decorating with gold [or silver], koftgari = the gold or silver decorated work produced. Guptis are mostly an expression of the Indian delight in mechanical oddities, rather than any practical innovation. See Stone for Gupti and Bhuj; and see Watt pp.42-52 for koftgari. G.C. Stone “A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armour in all countries and in all times� Southworth Press 1934 (and subsequent reprints). Sir G. Watt “Indian Art at Delhi 1903. Being the official catalogue of the Delhi Exhibition, 1902-1903�, Calcutta 1903.

object
MUSEUM NUMBER
nn18556.1
PLACE
COLLECTION
MEASUREMENTS
overall: 925 mm x 100 mm x 27 mm
MATERIAL/TECHNIQUE
iron; brass
CATEGORY
Anthropology: Ethnography
SHAREABLE LINK

Continue exploring anthropology

Collection Information

These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.

The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.

If you have any further information about objects in our collections, can suggest corrections to our information or if you see content requiring immediate action, please contact us: enquiry@horniman.ac.uk