… photographed the sword in early 2016; with attention on capturing the key physical characteristics that marked the object…
Overview
Possibly a rare early personal sword of the Mughal emperor, Akbar the Great (r. 1556–1605) — as described and attributed by the client.
Akbar was the third Mughal emperor of the Indian subcontinent. Included in the Time magazine list of top 25 world leaders, he left a legacy of ‘pluralism and tolerance’ that ‘underlies the values of the modern republic of India’.
Juga Singh photographed the sword in early 2016 — The chief consideration was securing the potential market value of the piece; to present the sword aesthetically and capture key physical characteristics that defined the attributing features: The hilt’s form, patina and gold inlay decoration; two cartouches with Persian inscription along the back edge of the blade; the curvature and the overall condition of the blade.
