North Indian sword, tulwar. The blade is single-edged and slightly curved. The brass hilt is chased with flowers and gilded. The wooden scabbard is covered with velvet and fitted with a large gilt brass locket chased with flowers and foliage. The hilt is a decadent form of the Sinde hilt as found fitted to the group of tulwars made for the Talpur family. Both hilt and locket were probably made in the city of Bhuj.
This sword probably does not belong to this scabbard, the langets (downward projections of the hilt) do not conform with the openings on either side of the locket which should receive the langets. For the Sinde hilt form see Hayes, fig 5 (lower), or Egerton, Pl. XIV No.729. P.A. Hayes “Swords of the Shazadas and Talpurs� in the Connoisseur Magazine (November 1971). Hon. W. Egerton “An illustrated Handbook of Indian Arms� London 1880 (and subsequent editions/reprints).
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