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Source Description
Made for Ottoman sultan Mahmud I (r. 1730-1754), this bejeweled gun conceals compartments for a dazzlingly adorned dagger and set of writing instruments. To get to them, one opens the hinged door bearing the diamond-encrusted insignia or tuğra of Mahmud I and the date AH 1145 (1732/33 CE). This unique set of objects represents two activities important to Ottoman sultans in this period: marksmanship and calligraphy. Sultans were expected to be both proficient hunters and adept writers. The gun was never shot, though, and therefore probably served as a spectacular element of imperial regalia. Many artisans were involved in the design, engineering, and decoration of Mahmud’s gun set. The gunsmith Isma‘il impressed his mark on the gun’s barrel. The top of the barrel is also inscribed with the date AH 1145 (1732/33 CE) and the Arabic phrase ma sha’a Allah (What God has willed). The jeweling can be attributed to an Armenian Christian, Hovhannes Agha Duzian (d. 1744), who was chief goldsmith under Mahmud’s predecessor, Ahmed III, and continued to work in that elevated position for Mahmud I. The miquelet lock, added to the gun later potentially replacing the original, also bears the name of its maker, Muhammad, and its former owner, Ahmad Khan.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
22655
label
Jeweled Gun of Sultan Mahmud I
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
44
Source metadata
id
22655
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Jeweled Gun of Sultan Mahmud I
description
Made for Ottoman sultan Mahmud I (r. 1730-1754), this bejeweled gun conceals compartments for a dazzlingly adorned dagger and set of writing instruments. To get to them, one opens the hinged door bearing the diamond-encrusted insignia or tuğra of Mahmud I and the date AH 1145 (1732/33 CE). This unique set of objects represents two activities important to Ottoman sultans in this period: marksmanship and calligraphy. Sultans were expected to be both proficient hunters and adept writers. The gun was never shot, though, and therefore probably served as a spectacular element of imperial regalia. Many artisans were involved in the design, engineering, and decoration of Mahmud’s gun set. The gunsmith Isma‘il impressed his mark on the gun’s barrel. The top of the barrel is also inscribed with the date AH 1145 (1732/33 CE) and the Arabic phrase ma sha’a Allah (What God has willed). The jeweling can be attributed to an Armenian Christian, Hovhannes Agha Duzian (d. 1744), who was chief goldsmith under Mahmud’s predecessor, Ahmed III, and continued to work in that elevated position for Mahmud I. The miquelet lock, added to the gun later potentially replacing the original, also bears the name of its maker, Muhammad, and its former owner, Ahmad Khan.
provenance
Robert S. Pardo, Istanbul; purchased by Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1903; by bequest to Walters Art Museum, 1931.
date
Gun: 1732/33; Miquelet lock: 1861/62 (Ottoman)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Arms & Armor
guns
muskets
imageCount
35
pageCount
44
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
24.5
height
139.7
depth
7
dimensionsRaw
H: 9 5/8 × L: 55 × D: 2 3/4 in. (24.5 × 139.7 × 7 cm)
Source extras
inscriptions
[Translation] On barrel: What God wills; [Translation] On flintlock: Work of Muhammad
its owner is Ahmad Khan; [Seal or Tughra] Hidden under panel in stock: Sultan Mahmud I
dynasty
Ottoman Dynasty
RelatedObjects
14364
7477
21516
40564
9184
17242
29115
med
steel, wood (ash), gold, gilded silver, silver, nephrite, diamonds, emeralds (or beryls), rubies (or spinels); later miquelet lock, steel, gold
creator_ids
35140
35141
35142
35143
collection_ids
ISL
ARM
exhibition_ids
2759
3334
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