1st Edition James Bond, Man With the Golden Gun, by Ian Fleming. Bond Sent to the Caribbean To Find & Kill Francisco Scaramanga, The Titular "Man With the Golden Gun".

London: Jonathan Cape 1965. 1st Edition 1st Impression. Flemings 12th outing for Commander Bond. Minor spotting as to be expected. With dust jacket. Cover artist Richard Chopping (Jonathan Cape ed.). The Man with the Golden Gun is the twelfth novel (and thirteenth book) of Ian Fleming's James Bond series. It was first published by Jonathan Cape in the UK on 1 April 1965, eight months after the author's death. The novel was not as detailed or polished as the others in the series, leading to poor but polite reviews. Despite that, the book was a best-seller.

The story centres on the fictional British Secret Service operative James Bond, who had been posted missing, presumed dead, after his last mission in Japan. Bond returns to England via the Soviet Union, where he had been brainwashed to attempt to assassinate his superior, M. After being "cured" by the MI6 doctors, Bond is sent to the Caribbean to find and kill Francisco Scaramanga, the titular "Man with the Golden Gun".

The first draft and part of the editing process was completed before Fleming's death and the manuscript had passed through the hands of his copy editor, William Plomer, but it was not as polished as other Bond stories. Much of the detail contained in the previous novels was missing, as this was often added by Fleming in the second draft. Publishers Jonathan Cape passed the manuscript to Kingsley Amis for his thoughts and advice on the story, although his suggestions were not subsequently used.

The novel was serialised in 1965, firstly in the Daily Express and then in Playboy; in 1966 a daily comic strip adaptation was also published in the Daily Express. In 1974 the book was loosely adapted as the ninth film in the Eon Productions James Bond series, with Roger Moore playing Bond and Fleming's cousin, Christopher Lee, as Scaramanga.
The Man with the Golden Gun film was filmed in 1974 the ninth film entry in the James Bond series and the second to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. A loose adaptation of Ian Fleming's novel of the same name, the film has Bond sent after the Solex Agitator, a device that can harness the power of the sun, while facing the assassin Francisco Scaramanga, the "Man with the Golden Gun". The action culminates in a duel between them that settles the fate of the Solex.

The Man with the Golden Gun was the fourth and final film in the series directed by Guy Hamilton. The script was written by Richard Maibaum and Tom Mankiewicz. The film was set in the face of the 1973 energy crisis, a dominant theme in the script. Britain had still not yet fully overcome the crisis when the film was released in December 1974. The film also reflects the then popular martial arts film craze, with several kung fu scenes and a predominantly Asian location, being set and shot in Thailand, Hong Kong, and Macau. Part of the film is also set in Beirut, Lebanon, but it was not shot there. Ian Fleming wrote The Man with the Golden Gun at his Goldeneye estate in Jamaica in January and February 1964, completing it by the beginning of March. His health affected him badly during the writing process and he dropped from his usual rate of two thousand words a morning to a little over an hour's worth of work a day.

As with his previous novels, Fleming used events from his past as elements in his novel. Whilst at Kitzbuhel in the 1930s, Fleming's car, a Standard Tourer, had been struck by a train at a level crossing and he had been dragged fifty yards down the track. From that time on he had associated trains with death, which led to their use as a plot device not just in The Man with the Golden Gun, but also in Diamonds Are Forever and From Russia, with Love. To show just how much all things original Bond are appreciated in the world of collectors the Walther pistol used by Connery in the poster of From Russia With Love, in 1963, and also drawn in the man With The Golden Gun poster as shown here an air pistol, .177 (4.5mm) Walther 'LP MOD.53' Air Pistol, Serial No. 054159, was sold by Christies in 2010 with an estimate of £15,000 to £20,000 for an incredible £277,000. Incredible in that it was never actually used in the film, was an air pistol, not a real automatic, and only used in promotional posters. It was 'said' to have been used by accident in fact as they couldn't find a correct Walther PPK on the day of the photoshoot.  read more

Code: 22632

A Most Scarce, And Highly Attractive In It’s Simplicity 17th Century Tanjore Battle Axe From The Era of Moghul Emperor Aurangzebe

From the era of Emperor Aurangzebe, from Lahore, in the Punjab. Iron combat axe head of iconic backswept form with elongated rectangular socket mount, on likely a later haft. Sobriquet Aurangzeb (Persian: "Ornament of the Throne") or by his regnal title Alamgir (Persian: "Conqueror of the World"), was the sixth, and widely considered the last effective Mughal emperor. His reign lasted for 49 years from 1658 until his death in 1707.

Aurangzeb was a notable expansionist and during his reign, the Mughal Empire reached its greatest extent, ruling over nearly all of the Indian subcontinent. During his lifetime, victories in the south expanded the Mughal Empire to 4 million square kilometres, and he ruled over a population estimated to be over 158 million subjects, with an annual yearly revenue of more than ten times that of his contemporary King Louis XIV of France, around 39 million pounds (almost 3 billion rupees) in 1690. Under his reign, India surpassed China to become the world's largest economy, nearly a quarter of world GDP in 1700.

Aurangzeb is considered one of India's most controversial kings. Some historians argue that his policies abandoned his predecessors' legacy of pluralism and religious tolerance, citing his destruction of Hindu temples and execution of a Sikh guru, while other historians question this, arguing that his destruction of temples has been exaggerated and were politically motivated, and noting that he built more temples than he destroyed, also destroyed Islamic mosques, paid for the maintenance of temples, employed significantly more Hindus in his imperial bureaucracy than his predecessors did, and opposed bigotry against Hindus and Shia Muslims.

It was at the end of his reign that the downfall of the Mughal Empire began. Rebellions and wars eventually led to the exhaustion of the imperial Mughal treasury and army. He was a strong-handed authoritarian ruler, and following his death the expansionary period of the Mughal Empire came to an end. Nevertheless, the contiguous territory of the Mughal Empire still remained intact more or less until the reign of Muhammad Shah.  read more

Code: 20915

An Imposing & Elegant ‘Morituri’ Walking Cane Combination ‘Bartitsu’ Club Stick, Cast Bronze Skull With & Sophisticated Ebony Stick & Carved Bone Ferrul. Once A Most Essential Accessory For the Gentleman About Town.

Likely 20th century, post Victorian.. A gentleman’s walking out club cane of the most distinct esoteric style of a weighted cast skull set upon an elegant, earlier, Victorian ebony cane with a carved bone ferrule.
Skull mounted canes for gentlemen have been most popular in all forms since the 18th century, and one of the most famed was the cane made for, and used by, Charles Darwin.

Darwin called his skull stick his ‘morituri’, a type of ‘memento mori’. These objects remind their owners of the short time people live on earth. Charles Darwin (1809-82) is famous for his theory of evolution outlined in The Origin of Species, first published in 1859. Darwin’s walking stick was collected by Henry Wellcome as a relic of someone Wellcome considered a ‘great man.’ Darwin's carved whalebone Morituri cane is shown in the gallery on a black ground.

Walking canes have been in use for centuries and have come to represent both elegance and practicality. A sophisticated walking cane in particular, is more than just a tool to aid in walking it is a statement of style, sophistication, and grace. The concept of a gentleman’s elegant walking cane, its history, and its contemporary significance, is intriguing, and furthermore, a night walking gentleman once trained in the art of the ‘fighting stick’, most elegantly detailed in the Sherlock Holmes novels by famed Victorian and Edwardian Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, could a most effective adversary, with his defensive accessory, ready to counter the prowling Victorian ne’er do well or assassin on the streets of London after dark {just like London is now, apparently, but long before dark}

A brief history of walking canes
Walking canes have been in use since ancient times, with evidence of their use found in several civilizations around the world. The Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans all used walking sticks for both functional and ceremonial purposes. In medieval times, walking canes were an accessory of the wealthy and powerful, often adorned with precious metals and jewels.

By the 17th century, walking canes had become an essential part of men's fashion. They were not only used as a symbol of wealth and status but also as a practical tool to aid in walking. During the 18th century, walking canes became even more ornate, with intricate designs and carvings, and the addition of handles made from exotic materials such as ivory and tortoiseshell.

In the 19th century, walking canes became more utilitarian in nature, with the introduction of collapsible canes and adjustable handles. They continued to be popular among the wealthy, with some canes serving as a form of self-defense, in the lawless cities, fitted with sword or dagger blades. And a substantial cane often made a most effective 'club' stick, although never designed as such of course, but necessity has always been the mother of invention.

Bartitsu is an eclectic martial art and self-defence method originally developed in England in 1898–1902, combining elements of boxing, jujitsu, cane-fighting, and French kickboxing (savate). In 1903, it was immortalised (as "baritsu") by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes mystery stories.

The stick fighting component was based on the two fundamental tactics of either feinting/striking pre-emptively or "baiting" the opponent's strike via a position of invitation. Fighting from the style's characteristic high- and double-handed guard positions - assumed so as to make it more difficult for an opponent to "snipe" the weapon-wielding hand - stick strikes and thrusts targeted the opponent's face and head, throat, elbows, hands and wrists, solar plexus, knees and shins. The Bartitsu stick fighter would often incorporate close combat techniques such as trips, throws and takedowns, representing a fusion of the Vigny stick system with jujutsu, which was unique to Bartitsu as a system.

A most beautiful yet intriguing collectors item.

90cm long  read more

Code: 24855

A Superb 60 Million Year Old Otodus Shark's Tooth Fossil. The Ancestor of the Megaladon The Giant Great White Type Shark

This would make a fabulous and incredibly unusual and original gift for a loved one.

The Otodus of 60 million years ago was up to 40 foot long and the Megalodon of 20 million years ago was up to 60 foot long.

A stunning large Otodus shark's tooth fossil in super condition. One of a small collection we have just been delighted to acquire. It would make a stunning desk ornament, as an impressive collector's item and conversation piece. Otodus is an extinct genus of shark which lived from the Paleocene to the Miocene epoch.
Otodus likely preyed upon large bony fish, other sharks, and from the Eocene until the genus' extinct during the Miocene, marine mammals. It was among the top predators of its time.The fossils of Otodus indicate that it was a very large macro-predatory shark. The vertebral centrum of this shark are over 12.7 cm (5 inch) wide. Scientists suggest that this shark at least reached 9.1 metres (30 ft) in total length, with a maximum length of 12.2 metres (40 ft) The Paleocene Epoch is bracketed by two major events in Earth's history. It started with the mass extinction event at the end of the Cretaceous, known as the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) boundary. This was a time marked by the demise of non-avian dinosaurs, giant marine reptiles and much other fauna and flora. The die-off of the dinosaurs left unfilled ecological niches worldwide. The Paleocene ended with the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum, a geologically brief (0.2 million year) interval characterised by extreme changes in climate and carbon cycling. The otodus was likely the ancestor of the Giant White Megaladon shark of 40 million years later. The tooth shown here was sold on day 1 but we have two others near identical, also the same size, the price is also the same. It is possible they may have been from the remains of the same shark.

As with all our items it comes complete with our certificate of authenticity.  read more

Code: 24516

A Small & Beautiful Neolithic 7000 to 10000 Year Old Small Polished Stone Age Symbolic Flint Hand Axe 5000 to 8000 bc

In the Neolithic period (later stone age) people started to settle down and start farming. At places such as Springfield Lyons, in Chelmsford, Essex, these early settlements have been identified. It was also at this time when stone tools, which up until this point had been purely functional, started to take on a more symbolic meaning.

A beautiful piece of ancient craftsmanship, with the hand polishing of flint being incredibly labour intensive, even for the smallest of examples.

Besides being tools, axes could also have important ritual and social functions. Polished stone axes and other tools that were never used have been found across the county, showing changes in social hierarchy and possibly even the development of religion.

In the Neolithic period people began to use flint axes that had been polished. The polishing of flint marks such a significant technological advance that archaeologists use this to draw the boundary between the Mesolithic and the Neolithic periods.

Although small polished axes are readily believed to be symbolic for ceremonies some speculate they could also be the first human concept of jewellery, the evolution of two dimensional art of cave paintings, into three dimensional art, being artefacts of rare and fine materials to be given or traded.

The population grew, and this led to competition for space, power and leadership. The farmer could mark his position in battle, as well as with peaceful exchanges of gifts with neighbours and friends. Gifts could be ornate axes of flint or amber beads. Many of these riches were sacrificed to the powers above in lakes. In the early Neolithic period people were also sometimes executed and thrown in lakes. Conflicts among the farmers may have triggered off violence and killings. Human sacrifices were also made. Both young and old people ended their days in this way.

The Neolithic also known as the "New Stone Age", the final division of the Stone Age, began about 12,000 years ago when the first development of farming appeared in the Epipalaeolithic Near East, and later in other parts of the world. The division lasted until the transitional period of the Chalcolithic from about 6,500 years ago (4500 BC), marked by the development of metallurgy, leading up to the Bronze Age and Iron Age. In Northern Europe, the Neolithic lasted until about 1700 BC, while in China it extended until 1200 BC. Other parts of the world (the New World) remained in the Neolithic stage of development until European contact.

The Neolithic comprises a progression of behavioral and cultural characteristics and changes, including the use of wild and domestic crops and of domesticated animals.

The term Neolithic derives from the Greek neos and lithos "New Stone Age". The term was coined by Sir John Lubbock in 1865 as a refinement of the three-age system.

Photo of Skara Brae, Orkney, Neolithic home, thought to be 5,000 years old

38 mm long  read more

Code: 24912

A Beautiful Original Roman 1st to 2nd Century A.D. Modius or Fire Alter Status Seal Ring. Worn From The Reigns Of Emperor Augustus Through To Emperor Flavian

The Julian Dynasty
Augustus (also known as Octavian, he was the first official emperor, reigning from 27 BC to AD 14)
Tiberius (reigned from AD 14 to 37)
Caligula (reigned from AD 37 to 41)
Claudius (reigned from AD 41 to 54)
Nero (reigned from AD 54 to 68)
The year of the 4 emperors, preceded by reign dates.
June 68 - Jan 69: Galba
Jan 69 - Apr 69: Otho
Apr 69 - Dec 69: Vitellius

The Flavian Dynasty
69 - 79: Vespasian
79 - 81: Titus
81 - 96: Domitian

The Nerva-Antonine Dynasty
96 - 98: Nerva
98 - 117 a.d.: Trajan


Henig type Xb. Wide oval bezel affixed to flattened shoulders engraved copper alloy. Almost identical to one found in the UK near Hadrian's Wall. Engraved to either to represent the Zaroastrian fire altar, or vessel of sprouting grains. The engraved intaglio seal ring was important for displaying the Roman's status. For example Tiberius, who was after all left-handed according to Suetonius, thus displays a ring in his bronze portrait as the Pontifex Maximus: The complete Roman Empire had around a 60 million population and a census more perfect than many parts of the world (to collect taxes, of course) but identification was still quite difficult and aggravated even more because there were a maximum of 17 men names and the women received the name of the family in feminine and a number (Prima for First, Secunda for Second…). A lot of people had the same exact name.
So the Roman proved the citizenship by inscribing themselves (or the slaves when they freed them) in the census, usually accompanied with two witnesses. Roman inscribed in the census were citizens and used an iron or bronze ring to prove it. With Augustus, those that could prove a wealth of more than 400,000 sesterces were part of a privileged class called Equites (knights) that came from the original nobles that could afford a horse. The Equites were middle-high class and wore a bronze or gold ring to prove it, with the famous Angusticlavia (a tunic with an expensive red-purple twin line). Senators (those with a wealth of more than 1,000,000 sesterces) also used the gold ring and the Laticlave, a broad band of purple in the tunic.

So the rings were very important to tell from a glimpse of eye if a traveller was a citizen, an equites or a senator, or legionary. People sealed and signed letters with the rings and its falsification could bring death.
The fugitive slaves didn’t have rings but iron collars with texts like “If found, return me to X” which also helped to recognise them. The domesticus slaves (the ones that lived in houses) didn’t wore the collar but sometimes were marked. A ring discovered 50 years ago is now believed to possibly be the ring of Pontius Pilate himself, and it was the same copper-bronze form ring as is this one. Comes in a complimentary box  read more

Code: 24910

Extraordinary Original 'Black Museum' Exhibit, Sheepskin Driving Gloves of The Most Notorious Dr Adams, The Original “Dr Death”,Who Incredibly Escaped Conviction in England's Greatest Murder Trial, Suspected of Murdering Up to 162 Patients

See Daily Mail Video on Dr Bodkin Adams

copy and paste}

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/video/video-3485217/Video-murder-got-Dr-Bodkin-Adams-indicted.html


Acquired from the estate of the most notorious Dr John Bodkin Adams A.K.A.: "Doctor Death"
The infamous, yet unproven, therefore England’s most successful serial killer poisoner - John Bodkin Adams (21 January 1899 – 4 July 1983).

Probably England's most prolific serial killer prior to Dr Shipman. His extraordinary acquittal at his murder trial was described as a travesty of justice, and highly suspicious due to suspected corruption and interference. The prosecution was subject to a demand for a professional inquiry.

He was a British general practitioner, convicted fraudster, and suspected serial killer. Between 1946 and 1956, 163 of his patients died while in comas, which was deemed to be worthy of investigation. In addition, 132 out of 310 patients had left Adams money or items in their wills. He was thus believed to be Britain's richest doctor.
Adams' first trial was received worldwide press coverage and was described as "one of the greatest murder trials of all time" and "murder trial of the century".The trial also had several important legal ramifications. It established the doctrine of double effect, whereby a doctor giving treatment with the aim of relieving pain may lawfully, as an unintentional result, shorten life. Secondly, because of the publicity surrounding Adams' committal hearing, the law was changed to allow defendants to ask for such hearings to be held in private. Finally, although a defendant had not been required within recorded legal history to give evidence in his own defence, the judge underlined in his summing-up that no prejudice should be attached by the jury to Adams not doing so. Scotland Yard's files on the case were initially closed to the public for 75 years.

The circumstantial evidence against him was extraordinary, but most was not brought into evidence. For example, on just one occasion he booked an appointment for a pathologist to perform an autopsy on his patient who was not even dead.

The first two of his highly suspicious and suspected murders were wealthy Eastbourne residents, Gertrude Hullet.and Edith Morell
Edith Alice Morrell was a patient of Dr Adams who had been partially paralysed after suffering a stroke. Adams supplied her with a cocktail of heroin and morphine to ease her discomfort, insomnia and symptoms of ‘cerebral irritation’ that was a condition of her illness.

However, three months before Morrell’s death on November 13th, 1949, she added a clause to her will stating that Adams was to receive nothing. Despite this clause Dr Adams, who maintained that Morrell had died from natural causes, still received a small amount of money, cutlery and a Rolls Royce.

The second alleged victim of Dr Adams did not occur until seven years after Mrs Morrell had died. Gertrude Hullett was another patient of Dr Adams who fell ill and then into unconsciousness. Despite not even being dead, Dr Adams called a local pathologist, Francis Camps, to make an appointment for an autopsy. When Camps realised that Hullett was still alive he accused Adams of ‘extreme incompetence’.

On July 23rd, 1956, Gertrude Hullett died and Adams recorded the cause of death as having been the result of a brain haemorrhage. An official investigation however, arrived at the conclusion that she had committed suicide. Camps argued that she had been poisoned with sleeping pills. Like Mrs Morrell before her, Hullett left several valuable items to Dr Adams including a Rolls Royce.
After years of rumours and Adams having been mentioned in at least 132 wills of his patients, on 23 July 1956 Eastbourne police received an anonymous call about a death. It was from Leslie Henson, the music hall performer, whose friend Gertrude Hullett had died unexpectedly while being treated by Adams.

The investigation

The investigation was taken over from Eastbourne police by 2 officers from the Metropolitan Police's Murder Squad. The senior officer, Detective Superintendent Herbert Hannam of Scotland Yard on 17 August was known for having solved the infamous Teddington Towpath Murders in 1953. He was assisted by a junior officer, Detective Sergeant Charles Hewett. The investigation focused on cases from 1946-1956 only. Of the 310 death certificates examined by Home Office pathologist Francis Camps, 163 were deemed to be suspicious. Many were given "special injections" - of substances Adams refused to describe to the nurses caring for his patients. Furthermore, it emerged that his habit was to ask the nurses to leave the room before injections were given.
On another, he told a nurse ‘it will only be a matter of minutes before she dies’, even though his patient had only been complaining of stomach ache before he injected her.

Another nurse remembered going into an elderly patient’s bedroom to find her freezing to death by an open window in February with her nightgown pulled up, while Dr Adams sat reading a book.

‘I am quite confident Adams is a mass-murderer,’ said the detective in charge of the investigation.

‘He has certainly killed 14 people.’  read more

Code: 23901

A Stunning, Moghul Indo Persian Khanjar Dagger, With Carved Jade, Inlaid with Cabochon Turquoise Handle, With 'Tiger Tooth', Wootz Steel, Double Fullered And Ribbed, Double Edged Blade

With wootz Damascus blade. An 18th to 19th century dagger khanjar, with a curved double edged watered wootz blade 24cms long, cut with a pair of deep fullers with medial ridge, mounted with a fine one piece jade hilt engraved and incised overall with foliage and inlaid with cabochon turquoise at the corners and on the pommel. The Mughal (or Moghul) Empire was an early-modern empire in South Asia. For some two centuries, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to the highlands of present-day Assam and Bangladesh in the east, and the uplands of the Deccan plateau in South India.

The Mughal empire is conventionally said to have been founded in 1526 by Babur, a warrior chieftain from what today is Uzbekistan, who employed aid from the neighboring Safavid and Ottoman empires to defeat the Sultan of Delhi, Ibrahim Lodhi, in the First Battle of Panipat, and to sweep down the plains of Upper India. The Mughal imperial structure, however, is sometimes dated to 1600, to the rule of Babur's grandson, Akbar. This imperial structure lasted until 1720, until shortly after the death of the last major emperor, Aurengzeb, during whose reign the empire also achieved its maximum geographical extent. Reduced subsequently, especially during the East India Company rule in India, to the region in and around Old Delhi, the empire was formally dissolved by the British Raj after the Indian Rebellion of 1857.

Although the Mughal empire was created and sustained by military warfare,it did not vigorously suppress the cultures and peoples it came to rule, but rather equalized and placated them through new administrative practices, and diverse ruling elites, leading to more efficient, centralised, and standarized rule.The base of the empire's collective wealth was agricultural taxes, instituted by the third Mughal emperor, Akbar. These taxes, which amounted to well over half the output of a peasant cultivator, were paid in the well-regulated silver currency, and caused peasants and artisans to enter larger markets.

The relative peace maintained by the empire during much of the 17th century was a factor in India's economic expansion.Burgeoning European presence in the Indian ocean, and its increasing demand for Indian raw- and finished products, created still greater wealth in the Mughal courts. There was more conspicuous consumption among the Mughal elite, resulting in greater patronage of painting, literary forms, textiles, and architecture, especially during the reign of Shah Jahan. The Taj Mahal, which is described as, "The jewel of Muslim art in India, and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage.  read more

Code: 22507

An Absolutely Stunning & Beautiful Carved Sea Ivory Royal Hilted Keris From Palembang, Sumatra 18th Century, Meteorite Blade. A Near Pair To An Example In The Royal Collection Presented To King George IVth in 1817, When He Was The Prince Regent

Masterpiece 18th-19th c. Palembang, Sumatra, Indonesia.
A Kris (keris) dagger with a hilt in very finely carved sea ivory. This is a wonderful example of a type embraced throughout Indonesia and Malaysia known for its distinct shape that blends sharp edges, planes sometimes covered with magnificent floral motifs and scrollwork as we see in this example and at the same time dramatic curves. This example also boasts some shiny sections that are characteristic of the type in Palembang, once the capital of the Srivijaya Empire, a Hindu-Buddhist kingdom that flourished from the 7th to the 12th century and stretched from Sumatra to the Kra Isthmus in southern Thailand.

Ivory handle depicts a stylised, squatting human figure known as Cipaduik with one arm folded across the chest, diamond-shaped eyes and a jutting nose that dominates the mouthless face. Cipaduik features in many Minangkabau stories as a man who likes to play tricks on people.

See in the gallery a near pair to ours in the British Royal Collection, presented in 1817 to the Prince Regent.
A traditional dagger (kris) and sheath; of the highest royal rank, the straight two-edged blade of watered steel with a gold ('Mendok') attaching it to the sea ivory hilt heavily carved in as a humanoid 'Jawa demam' figure; the gold 'ganja' at blade shoulder; with a gilt wood scabbard with a wooden upper end.
Provenance
Presented to George IV when Prince Regent by Stamford Raffles, 10 May 1817. Recorded in the North Corridor Inventory of Windsor Castle with the note 'A Malayan kris - the manufacture of Sumatra'. Raffles served as Lieutenant-Governor of Java from 1811-1816 and presented the Prince Regent with several kris on his return to England.  read more

Code: 24725

A Most Rare Antique 17th Century Sinhalese Kastane Sword, Used as A Naval Officer's Hangar Acquired by the Early 17th Century Maritime Traders to Ceylon

A most interesting and fine kastane, with the carved wood “Simha” lion head pommel a recurved knuckleguard and two quillon also with a water beast, known as a Makara, head pommel and counter quillon with additional Makara

The hilt is delicately inlaid with brass inlays as is the blade. A typical 17th century sword from ancient Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) which was in ancient times known as the Kingdom of Lions (Sinhaladwipa) often termed Sinhala. The term Sinha is lion in Hindu. These lion-heads in grotesque form are of course representing this heritage. The makara represents the Hindu water beast (fish/crocodile) ridden by Varuna. Pommel with small jaw section lacking.The kastane is the national sword of Sri Lanka. It typically has a short curved single-edged blade, double-edged at the point. The hilt comprises a knuckle-guard and down-turned quillons, each terminating in a dragon's head. The swords were intended to serve as badges of rank; the quality of ornamentation depending on the status of the wearer.

The establishment of European trading contacts with South Asia by the late 16th and early 17th century led to these swords becoming fashionable dress accessories among European gentlemen and naval officer's of all hues, Be they Royal Naval, East India Co. Naval, or Privateers.

A kastane can be seen in an equestrian portrait of Colonel Alexander Popham at Littlecote House in the care of the Royal Armouries Collection (I.315). They were chosen by Naval officer's and indeed pirates, as their shape form and size was absolutely ideal for maritime close combat service.

Although also used on land, the cutlass is best known as the maritime weapon of choice. A naval side-arm, its popularity was likely because it was not only robust enough to hack through heavy ropes, canvas, and wood, but short enough to use in relatively close quarters, such as during boarding actions, in the rigging, or below decks. Another advantage to the cutlass was its simplicity of use. Employing it effectively required less technical skill than that required to master a rapier or light small sword, and it was more effective as a close-combat weapon than a full-sized sword would be on a cramped ship.

Cutlasses are famous for being used by pirates, and privateers although there is no reason to believe that Caribbean buccaneers invented them, as has occasionally been claimed. However, the subsequent use of cutlasses by pirates is well documented in contemporary sources, notably by the pirate crews of William Fly, William Kidd, and Stede Bonnet. French historian Alexandre Exquemelin reports the buccaneer François l'Ollonais using a cutlass/cuttoe as early as 1667. Pirates used these weapons for intimidation as much as for combat, often needing no more than to grip their hilts to induce a crew to surrender, or beating captives with the flat of the blade to force their compliance or responsiveness to interrogation.  read more

Code: 21976