Hunting Sword (Shamshir Shikargar) with Modern Scabbard

Unknown

18th–mid-19th century · Steel, gold, textile (velvet), wood · Arms and Armor

Rajput and Mughal painted hunting scenes commonly depict royalty and nobility wielding swords while pursuing prey on horseback. This example depicts such scenes, sculptured in low-relief decoration. On both sides, running the full length of the blade, is a menagerie of animals, from real to mythical, together with hunters. The guard terminates in the head of a tiger.

Artist

Unknown

Date

18th–mid-19th century

Medium

Steel, gold, textile (velvet), wood

Culture

Indian, Rajasthan

Department

Arms and Armor

Credit line

Bequest of George C. Stone, 1935