65 - STUNNING TURKISH SABER KNOWN AS A "PALA" OR "KILIJ"

STUNNING TURKISH SABER KNOWN AS A "PALA" OR "KILIJ" Inlaid with coral and turquoise Ottoman Turkey, Anatolia, probably Trebizond, 19th century Saber with a hilt entirely set with almond-shaped, striated red coral cabochons, thirteen turquoise stones of various ovoid shapes inlaid with gilded plant motifs, and small turquoise beads. The scabbard is set with the same inlay on one side and features gilded copper engraved with plant motifs and lozenges on the reverse. It is fitted with two loop rings. Blade of gold-damascened steel, decorated on one side with the Seal of Solomon in a fleur-de-lis-framed medallion and a cartouche presumably inscribed with “mashallah.” On the other side is a long inscription in gold —likely from the Quran—which remains undeciphered. Length: 90 cm Provenance: Private collection Published in: Alain Jacob, Les Armes blanches du monde islamique, Les armes de poing. Jacques Grancher éditeur, Paris, 1985, second color plate inserted between pages 144 and 145. The use of coral elements to decorate weapons was popular in the Ottoman Empire. In the mid-17th century, the traveler Evliya Çelebi recounted receiving as a gift from a Turkish traveler a dagger adorned with coral and precious stones while traveling in Albania (Robert Elgood, *The Arms of Greece and Her Balkan Neighbors in the Ottoman Period*, London, 2009, p. 104). The coral came from various locations in the Mediterranean basin, but there are no structural differences in the coral that would allow one to distinguish between the different sources. Several centers for the manufacture of coral-inlaid weapons were located in various regions of the Ottoman Empire, and a major center was situated in Anatolia, in Trebizond on the shores of the Black Sea. Large coral-inlaid sabers are generally attributed to this region. In addition to their aesthetic appeal, coral and turquoise served a talismanic purpose. According to Alain Jacob, this saber—which he dates to the 18th century—is a “pala” and differs slightly from a “qilidj” (or “kilij”). The word “pala” means “scimitar” in Turkish. The “pala” saber is a typically Ottoman weapon characterized by a broad, heavy blade—generally shorter than that of the “qilidj”— with a very pronounced curve, whose thick, flared spine gives way to an enormous, steeply sloping back edge, sometimes as long as one-third of the blade. The hilt almost always consists of a “pistol-grip” handle known as “Mameluke-style,” which is no different from that found on “qilidj” swords. The “pala” does not appear to have emerged in the Turkish world until the mid-18th century. (Alain Jacob, Les Armes blanches du monde islamique, 1985, p. 100). As for the “qilidj,” it has a blade with a more or less pronounced curve, the back of which always ends in a sloping counter-edge. The tip lies in line with the cutting edges, and the flat back does not extend beyond the blade (ibid., p. 92). An Ottoman saber decorated with coral and dating from the 19th century is housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (inv. 17.190.2101a.b). Another similarly decorated saber, also attributed to the 19th century, is published by Robert Hales in *Islamic and Oriental Arms and Armor: A Lifetime’s Passion* (2013), p. 209, fig. 507 (Anatolia, probably Trabzon, Black Sea coast, 19th century). Six other similar sabers were sold at Christie’s in London, all attributed to Anatolia, on the Black Sea coast, probably Trabzon (Black Sea coast, probably Trabzon, 19th century): on April 26, 2012, lot 275; October 9, 2014, lot 120; April 27, 2017, lot 13; October 26, 2017, lot 197; May 2, 2019, lot 173; April 27, 2023, lot 150. Two other coral-inlaid sabers were offered for sale, one at Bonhams, Knightsbridge, London, on July 28, 2010, lot 334, and the other more recently at Rim Enchères, Paris, on November 28, 2023, lot 67. An Ottoman coral and turquoise inlaid sword (kilij) and scabbard Turkey, Anatolia, probably Trabzon, Black Sea coast, 19th century