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Identification and Creation

Object Number
2011.521
People
Signed by Asad Allah
Title
Saber blade inscribed by Asad Allah
Classification
Weapons and Ammunition
Work Type
sword
Date
17th century
Places
Creation Place: Middle East, Iran, Isfahan
Period
Safavid period
Culture
Persian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/215274

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Watered steel with gold inlay
Dimensions
99.3 cm (39 1/8 in.)
Inscriptions and Marks
  • inscription: Inscription on the blade reads “‘Abbas, servant of the King of Holiness [i.e. ‘Ali]. Work of Asad Allah.”

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Stuart Cary Welch, Jr., Warner, New Hampshire (by 1989-2008), by inheritance; to Edith I. Welch, Warner, New Hampshire (2008-2011), gift; to Harvard Art Museums 2011.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, The Stuart Cary Welch Collection, Gift of Edith I. Welch in memory of Stuart Cary Welch
Accession Year
2011
Object Number
2011.521
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
This curving, single-edged blade was made for a saber. From the shape of the tang, it is likely that the missing pommel was pistol-shaped. The blade exhibits a watered steel pattern, which was acid etched to bring out the color contrasts of the various components of the steel. A small gold cartouche near the base of this sword blade contains the signature of Asad Allah of Isfahan. A larger inscription on the blade reads: “The servant of the dominion of Shah `Abbas.”

Publication History

  • Melanie Michailidis, Glory and Prosperity: Metalwork of the Islamic World, brochure, ed. Marsha Pomerantz, Harvard University Art Museums (2002), p. 7, fig. 9

Exhibition History

  • Islamic Art: The Power of Pattern, Harvard University Art Museums, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 09/23/1989 - 01/17/1990
  • Shadows of God On Earth: Arts of the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal Dynasties, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 06/21/1997 - 08/31/1997
  • From Rhubarb to Rubies: European Travelers to Safavid Iran, 1550-1700, Houghton Library, Cambridge, 05/08/2008 - 08/20/2008

Verification Level

This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu