A leather-mounted steel sword (kattara)
Oman or Zanzibar, 19th Century
the double-edged steel blade of tapering form, engraved to one side with orb and cross mark, the other side with a saltire to the forte, the leather mounted hilt of conical form terminating in a steel boss, the wood scabbard clad in leather tooled with geometric designs, the silver-damascened steel mounts with geometric designs, two suspension loops
104 cm. long
Footnotes:
Provenance
The Mohammed Khalil Collection.

Published
M. K. Ibrahim, Islamic Arms and Armour, Vol. II, United Arab Emirates, 2022, p. 961, cat. no. 856.

Arabian kattaras are typically mounted with blades that appear to be European and bear European marks, as in the present lot. In some cases the blades are genuinely European, often German, but in most cases they are faithful copies made by Arab bladesmiths. For an example of a kattara sold in these rooms, see Antique Arms and Armour, 17 May 2017, lot 37.
This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: *
* VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.