Lot 113: A KOFTGARI INDIAN ZOOMORPHIC TIGER HEAD HILT SWORD, SIALKOT PUNJAB, 19TH CENTURY

Features a deeply curved, single-edged blade of patterned wootz steel. The blade tapers to a fine point and lacks a fuller. An incised cartouche is located on the blade face, by a scalloped rectangular border and a fleur-de-lis flourish to the right. The interior of the cartouche contains faint, illegible characters. The hilt is constructed of cast metal with a yellow-gold gilded finish. The pommel is sculpted into the form of a snarling feline head, likely a tiger. The grip and langets are decorated with chased floral and foliate trellis patterns, featuring several inset turquoise-colored cabochons. A slender D-guard connects the cross-guard to a point just below the pommel, ending in a recurved scroll.

L: 90cm