Inventory

STEEL BOW

Full Description:

The main surface of this steel bow flourishes with a mesmerising array of spiralling foliate patterns in silver, which in turn frame a continuous series of curved cartouches each containing further leafy splays in silver and a stylised flowerhead with petals in spirals of gold.

The centrally swollen grip-section is threaded to allow the bow to be conveniently disassembled for storage or transportation. Originally, the notches at each end would likely have been tied with a silk bowstring.

Although already known in India, this type of bow was reintroduced by Muslim invaders, and the Indians, quickly deeming it to be a superior weapon, gladly adopted it. With wood and horn being susceptible to the Indian climate, metal bows such as this one were sometimes used as substitutes.[1]

A similar example is preserved in the royal collection at Jaipur, and another[2] was published by Runjeet Singh Ltd in The Goddess: Arms and Armour of the Rajputs - London 2018.[3]