Quote:
Originally Posted by Mercenary
I apologize that this is not a translation, but only a few thoughts. This is an Indian work that has two explanations. Researchers who believe in goodness argue that such design is the work of Indian Shiites, who do not know the language and spelling well. Realist researchers believe it is just the additional decoration before selling an item to a non-Indian. Such pseudo cartouches in the Indian style are found even on good Persian blades.
But in both cases it was in the 19th century.
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The koftgari masters are not necessary very literate and in most cases just copy an older script/pattern or simply reproduce it from memory.
And this is valid for late 19th century koftgari as it is for early 17th century.
So, in my opinion, the correctness of a text cannot be seen as an indicator of whether it was originally applied or it was added later.
I believe a much more accurate indicator of the age is the condition of the koftgari and more specifically the condition of the crosshatch beneath the inlay.
Last but not least, the same way koftgari decorated blades are more appealing for the European collectors, so are they for the Indian customers. So, koftgari was added on the blades throughout the 17th, 18th and 19th century (when it became more fashionable), not only on blades for the foreign customers but also on blades for locals. And whether it was originally applied or was added later, koftgari forms an intrinsic part of the cultural heritage of the blade.
PS: Lovely wootz pattern. Looking forward for photos of the whole blade.