Lot 34. A gemset and enamelled gold sword (tulwar) hilt, made for the Raja of Nabha State, North India, second half 19th century. Estimate £40,000 – £60,000($56,880 - $85,320). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016

Of typical form with upper suspension loop with seed-pearl skirt, the ground of blue enamel decorated with diamonds and rubies in gold mounts forming rosettes and floral sprays, the hand guard with tiger head finial, the interior withGurmukhi and Latin inscription, with original similarly decorated locket with cusped terminal decorated with green ground bird and flower design, minor losses to the enamel; 11in. (28cm.) long

Engraved: On the inside of the hand guard in Gurmukhi and Latin characters: Nabha State

Note: This elegant hilt has an inscription on the inside of the knuckle-guard linking it to the Nabha, one of the Phulkian princely states of the Punjab during the British Raj. Probably produced during the reign of Hira Singh Nabha (1871-1911) or his predecessor the hilt was possibly made as a ceremonial gift. 

Under Hira Singh, the state of Nabha benefited from a period of prosperity and development which saw the building of infrastructures and a strong collaboration with the East India Company and the British Empire. Given the inscription, which is written in both Gurmukhi and Latin, it is probable that the hilt was produced as a ceremonial gift for a foreign visitor. 

The use of a very varied palette of enamels against a strong light blue ground, distinguishes this tulwar from contemporaneous examples. This blue is often found in 17th century pieces, for instance a tulwar published in Mark Zebrowski, Gold, Silver & Bronze from Mughal India, London 1997, pl.83, p.91. Pandans dated to the 17th century also use the same colour, either accompanied by gilt relief or with the addition darker blue enamel ( for instanceapandan in Victoria and Albert Museum (inv.no.754-1889) or in the Jagdish and Kamla Mittal Museum of Indian art, Hyderabad (inv.no.761293); both published in Mark Zebrowski, op.cit., pl. 80 and 81, p.91). Whilst our hilt continues this tradition, the artist has successfully combined the sky-blue with a more varied palette of bright green, red and white on the inner side of the knuckle guard, the cusped terminal and the locket. This variation in colour would suggest a later date for our hilt.