Scimitar with Scabbard

Unknown

late 16th–17th century · Steel, copper alloy (brass), silver, wood, gold, jade, turquoise, copper · Arms and Armor

This sword belongs to a distinctive group of Ottoman parade weapons mounted with gilded silver, studded with turquoise, and set with jeweled nephrite plaques. The group includes swords, shields, quivers, saddles, and related equestrian equipment. These luxurious and colorful pieces were frequently given as diplomatic presents by the Ottoman court from the late sixteenth through the seventeenth century, many of them still preserved in European collections. The saber is now fitted with a later Iranian blade of crucible (“watered”) steel inlaid in gold with the pious motto “I trust in God.”

Artist

Unknown

Date

late 16th–17th century

Medium

Steel, copper alloy (brass), silver, wood, gold, jade, turquoise, copper

Culture

Hilt and scabbard, Turkish; Blade, Iranian

Department

Arms and Armor

Credit line

Rogers Fund and Pfeiffer Fund, 1978