Painted Toradar Matchlock
Full Description:
A fine ‘Toradar’ or ‘Bandook’ matchlock musket from 17th century Mughal India. With tapering barrel punched over most of its length and retained by twisted silver wire barrel bands, the slightly flared muzzle, ramrod and breech decorated heavily in gold. The breach having two birds surrounded by scrolling flowers and foliate.
A copper fore-sight, tang, side-plates, trigger, pivoting pan-cover, and original steel ramrod all decorated en-suite. Fully painted timber stock with panels of black and olive green floral patterns on a cinnabar red background.
Another painted Mughal matchlock is illustrated by Rickketts and Missilier, page 107, no.178.
Of particular note is a portrait of Shah Jahan by the artist Payag, dating to circa 1630-35, and now in the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin (library no. 7B.28), it shows the Mughal Emperor holding a similar hunting gun with painted stock (see Elgood 1995, p.140).