Epée Ottomane en acier à poignée en ivoire marin serti de corail (yataghan), Turquie circa 1800
An Ottoman walrus ivory-hilted and coral-set steel sword (yataghan), Turkey, circa 1800
the single-edged steel blade of slightly curved form engraved and decorated with inscriptions to both sides, the walrus ivory grips of typical form, the forte and centre of grips of gilt copper inlaid with coral (corallium rubrum), silver and paste
73 cm. long
Footnotes:
Provenance
Masis Antiquites, Geneve, 9 September 1995.
Property from a Royal Collection.

Inscriptions: To one side, the name of the maker and the owner (undeciphered) followed by the names of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus: amal-i ahmad sahib wa malik 'adan(?) ... makthalina, mathlina, marnush, dabarnush, shadhanush, kafashtatayush, qitmir, 'Work of Ahmad, the owner and the possessor 'Adan(?) ... Makthalina, Mathlina, Marnush, Dabarnush, Shadhanush, Kafashtatayush, Qitmir.' To the other side, alay-i ghaziyan du dar(?) maydan bıçak elde gerekdür dilde sübhan la fata illa 'ali la sayf illa dhu'l-faqar, 'A regiment of holy warriors is worth two(?) in the battlefield. The knife should be in your hand, on your tongue should be praise of God. There is no hero but 'Ali, no sword but Dhu'l-Faqar.'

For a comparable walrus ivory-hilted and coral-set yataghan sold at Christie's, see Islamic and Indian Works of Art and Textiles, 27 April 2012, Lot 786.
This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: Y
Y Subject to CITES regulations when exporting items outside of the EU, see clause 13.