A SHORT SWORD WITH GILT-DAMASCENED IRON MOUNTS, TIBET, CIRCA 16TH-18TH CENTURY
Lot 7 - HS1225

Expert’s note: While the blade, with its oblique or sloped point, occasionally referred to as a chisel point, and the straight, rounded scabbard are indicative of Tibetan manufacture, certain formal and decorative elements suggest Bhutanese influence. The lozenge-shaped guard and the decoration of both the hilt and scabbard, featuring deeply undercut scrollwork and finely engraved motifs, are characteristic of Bhutanese swords from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. An iron staple for a suspension strap allows the sword to hang vertically at the wearer’s right side, in accordance with Bhutanese custom. However, in contrast to Bhutanese examples, where such features are typically executed in delicate cast silver, the present sword demonstrates the robust ironwork associated with eastern Tibetan production, using the wanjin technique which begins by incising the iron surface with a slanted blade to roughen it. A thin sheet or line of gold is then laid over the metal and carefully hammered, causing the gold to embed deeply into the carved lines. Once the surface is smoothed and polished, the result is a refined, gleaming gold decoration seamlessly integrated into the metal.

Finely worked, the tapering hilt with a wooden core fitted with gold-damascened reticulated iron dragons sinuously writhing amid scrolling vines, secured with pins and complemented by a curved pommel and narrow lozenge-shaped guard, all in copper. The iron scabbard of rectangular form with a slightly flared and rounded tip, similarly decorated on one side with dragons and neatly incised with a pattern of overlapping scales to the other side set with a loop tied with a leather strap for suspension.

Provenance: From a private collection in Hamburg, Germany.
Condition: Good condition with old wear, manufacturing irregularities, and traces of use. Light warping and minute dents. Scattered light nicks and surface scratches. Expected tarnish, areas of corrosion, and losses to gilding, with only traces left on the scabbard.

Weight: 646.7 g
Dimensions: Length 42.8 cm

Swords were the primary hand-held weapon in Tibet from at least the seventh century up to the early twentieth. In addition to their utilitarian function, they could also be clear indicators of rank and status, based on their quality or amount of decoration. In some situations, such as among the Khampas of eastern Tibet, the sword was an essential part of male dress and remains an important element of traditional attire. The sword also has rich symbolic significance within Tibetan Buddhism, particularly as the Sword of Wisdom (shes rab ral gri), which represents the ability to cut through spiritual ignorance, and is an important attribute of many deities, such as Manjushri. The different styles of actual swords found in Tibet can be distinguished by several basic features, outlined below, which include the type of blade, the form of hilt, the type of scabbard, and how the sword was designed to be worn.

For a detailed study of the technical and stylistic evolution of swords in Tibet, as well as their military and ritual use from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century, see Donald J. LaRocca (ed.), Warriors of the Himalayas. Rediscovering the Arms and Armor of Tibet, 2006, p. 146-173.

Literature comparison:
Compare a related Tibetan sword and scabbard with similarly worked gilt-damascened iron mounts, dated 16th-18th century, 85.7 cm long, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 36.25.1465a, b. Compare a related Tibetan steel sword and scabbard with similarly worked iron mounts and dragon motif, dated to the 19th century, 101 cm long, in the Royal Armories Museum, Leeds, object number XXVIS.298. Compare a related Tibetan silver-mounted steel sword and scabbard with dragons and scrolling tendrils, dated 19th century, 80 cm long, in the Victoria & Albert Museum, accession number 579&A-1905.