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AUCTION 43: ANTIQUE ARMS AND ARMOR
Lot 295:
With a large curved blaze of Wootz steel, a cartouche with Arabic inscription on the forte. Steel cross guard with gold inlay, polished horn grip scales. Wooded scabbard with two steel fittings.
19th century.
The inscription in the cartouche reads من امير عبدالقادر الى شارل قابق (From Amir Abdul Qadir to Charles Qabq) and dates ١٢٨٣ (1283 Hijra) = 1866/1867 Gregorian calendar.
Emir Abdelkader (1808 – 1883) an Algerian religious and military leader who led a struggle against the French colonial invasion of Algiers in the early 19th century. As an Islamic scholar and Sufi who unexpectedly found himself leading a military campaign, he built up a collection of Algerian tribesmen that for many years successfully held out against one of the most advanced armies in Europe. His consistent regard for what would now be called human rights, especially as regards his Christian opponents, drew widespread admiration, and a crucial intervention to save the Christian community of Damascus from a massacre in 1860 brought honours and awards from around the world. Within Algeria, he was able to unite many Arab and Berber tribes to resist the spread of French colonization. His efforts to unite the country against French invaders led some French authors to describe him as a "modern Jugurtha", and his ability to combine religious and political authority has led to his being acclaimed as the "Saint among the Princes, the Prince among the Saints"*.
* Brower, Benjamin Claude "The Amîr ?Abd Al-Qâdir and the "Good War" in Algeria, 1832-1847" (2011).
L: 41 1/2 in., (105 cm.)
Condition: In very good condition for the age. Chips to the hilt.
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