Tag Archives: antique arms and armour

archery, Chinese and Tibetan swords and weapons, Chinese arms and armour, chinese swords, oriental arms, qing weapons arms and armour, South East Asian weapons

Qin Chinese recurved Bow with arrows

A Chinese Manchu recurved or compound bow from the 19th century. Still strung with its original silk cord bowstring, and retaining two original arrows. Chinese compound bows  such as this were made for military use and carefully constructed with techniques going back hundreds of years. The black horn tip of this example is carved with a makers signature to denote the quality of the workmanship. The siyahs or bow tips are covered with white rayskin, the front of the bow arms with strips of coloured bark, the back of the arms are broad strips of black horn, Between the inner and outer face is a sinew core which gives the bow its powerful elastic pull. the grip is wrapped with cork. The two arrows which accomany it are good examples, one has damage where the tip beneath the head is split with a little broken off, and one part of the nock missing. Both arrows retain most of their flight feathers. The bow itself is in reasonable condition, one bone string rest is lacking, and some loss to the bark outer covering in places, and general age wear to parts. This bow was brought back as booty from Beijing by a German soldier (the great grandfather of the previous owner ) fighting in the Boxer Rebellion during the 1900/1901 period. 

 

 

caucasian swords and weapons, oriental arms, Persian arms and armour

Persian or Caucasian sword with Laddered Wootz blade

A Persian shamshir sword. The blade of this sword is big and heavy and likely to date to the 17th or early 18th century. Signed at the top with a lion cartouche and a panel of arabic with the maker Assad Allah inlaid with gold. The wootz steel blade of this sword is very fine and clear and display the rare pattern ‘Kirk Narduban’ the ladder of the prophet or ‘Mohammed’s ladder’ which displays as a regular banded pattern along the blade.  The crossguard is of steel with some silver overlaid decoration, horn and silver grips with silver panels and a silvered steel pommel. Circa 1700

african tribal art and weapons, african-arms-and-armour, antique swords and armour new items wanted, European arms and armour, North African and Islamic swords and weapons, sudanese swords and mahdist weapons

Kaskara sword from the Sudan, crusader style with early German blade

An interesting and early Sudanese sword known as a Kaskara to collectors. The blade is good quality and of European German origin, double edged with a broad centre fuller, each side has two markings each, near the forte underneath the projecting crossguard piece is a small deeply stamped mark which is hard to make out, further down to on side is a large copper alloy or latten inlaid makers mark of Passau or Solingen, an orb and a wolf.The hilt has a steel crossguard, the grip bound with leather and a leather flattened disc pommel. The scabbard covered with leather decorated in places, a band of snakeskin to the sheath opening, two silvered copper hanging mounts and a leather decorated strap. Some age wear and old repairs minor losses to scabbard but overall in good condition for age. 19th century

 

african sword kaskara
early german blade from solingen or passau mounted in Sudanese kaskara straight sword

oriental arms, Persian arms and armour, qing weapons arms and armour

Fine Tabar Axe from Persia Central Asia Samarkand with silver mounts and Chinese Jade archers ring 18th century

A fine and interesting early Persian or Central Asian War Axe  Tabar or ‘Tabarzin’.  This piece is significant in its weight and size, the steel axehead itself is deeply decorated in relief with scenes of a mounted warrior amongst animals and trees, presumably made from wootz steel. The mounting of the axe is most unusual, below the head is a fine quality Chinese archers ring of Jade, which appears to be early Qing Dynasty in date. The top and bottom shaft mounts are of thick silver, exquisitely chiselled with geometric borders and flowers, suggesting a Central Asian Uzbek or Bukharan origin. The shaft itself is unusually carved in a  series of spirals which adds a most dramatic appearance to the piece.

asian arms and armour, balkan and ottoman guns, Coming soon to Ashoka Arts Fine Antique Arms and Armour Swords and Weapons, North African and Islamic swords and weapons, oriental arms, turkish arms and armour

A pair of Ottoman Balkan silver horsemans pistols completely covered with silver filigree work and set with stones

A very nice and collectible pair of 18th century Flintlock holster pistols, from the Ottoman Empire probably made in Bosnia, around Sarajevo in the Balkans by a master gunsmith. The stocks are wholly covered with very fine pure silver filigree wire decoration in scrolls and panels. The handles and breech region are further set with decorative red stones. Fine steel work locks beautifully engraved, the barrel is also chiselled and engraved with some characters and writing. Weapons of this quality were important throughout the Islamic world as indicators of status and fashion as well as functioning items for self defense. These would have been worn either in a double holster attached to a horses saddle, or stuck through a wide waist sash or belt which was typically Turkish and Balkan.

turkish pistols ashoka arts
super quality pair of silver turkish flintlock pistols

turkish balkan silver gilt filigree pair of holster pistols (3)

turkish balkan silver gilt filigree pair of holster pistols (5)

turkish balkan silver gilt filigree pair of holster pistols (7)

turkish balkan silver gilt filigree pair of holster pistols (10)

turkish balkan silver gilt filigree pair of holster pistols (11)

african tribal art and weapons, african-arms-and-armour, arms and armour, Coming soon to Ashoka Arts Fine Antique Arms and Armour Swords and Weapons, somalian weapons

Large Zulu War Axe, Danakil Somalian Spears for sale

Newly aquired, two fine Danakil tribe Spears from Somalia with leaf shaped steel blades and shafts, A large Sotho/Swazi or Nguni Zulu War axe, robust iron triangular blade with wire wrapped head.  Fine African Arms and armour from ashoka arts!

african-arms-and-armour, antique Arab and islamic arms and armour, latest news from ashoka arts ...!!, North African and Islamic swords and weapons, oriental arms, sudanese swords and mahdist weapons

Two antique 19th century Sudanese kaskara swords

Two antique 19th century Sudanese kaskara swords one with islamic arabic calligraphic script, the other with man in the moon makers marks, ‘crusader’ style cruciform leather hilts and broadsword steel blades

Coming soon to Ashoka Arts Fine Antique Arms and Armour Swords and Weapons, oriental arms, philippine and moro swords and weapons, Philippine swords and armour

Nice T’Boli sword of kampilan style

Stunning antique T’Boli or tboli sword from Southern Mindanao in the Philippines. The T’boli are an indigenous tribal group with an animist religion, very old and reputedly the source of the finest blades in the Philippines. The handles as with this one are frequently made of cast brass with lost wax designs applied with bells and chains, textile and with a wooden sheath often applied with horsehair and brass tubes to the end of the scabbard. Related to the Bagobo people with whom they share many similarities.

antique axes, bullova axes, Coming soon to Ashoka Arts Fine Antique Arms and Armour Swords and Weapons, Indian arms and armor, oriental arms, tribal weapons from india

antique Axe, … tribal Gond or Kond Indian weapon, … complete example

A very good condition antique Tribal Indian Axe ‘Bullova’ from the Gond/khond tribe of Orissa in india,  large moustache shaped steel blade, brass mounts and top spike, another example also coming with rare straight edged blade of ‘chopper’ style 19th century

african-arms-and-armour, and other antique guns, asian arms and armour, cannons, Chinese arms and armour, Coming soon to Ashoka Arts Fine Antique Arms and Armour Swords and Weapons, guns and firearms, lantakas, latest news from ashoka arts ...!!, philippine and moro swords and weapons

Wonderful Antique Bronze Lantaka ship or deck cannon from Borneo/Brunei with crocodile

A superb early Bronze Lantaka deck cannon or swivel gun from Northen Borneo /Brunei. These ornate bronze canons were typically used along the gunwales and decks of ships, most notoriously those used by the Malay pirates who were active in the South China Seas around Borneo and the Philippines. This examples is small, cast from heavy bronze and ornate with a cast crocodile mounted to the front, and also most interestingly has an exploded breech section showing a failure during active firing!! 19th century or earlier