Qajar period ? Axe with lion head hammer

ariel · 4th January 2022, 01:49 AM

I am wondering whether it might be ceremonial/parade rather than war axe.
The fighting ones had blades very thick close to the head and narrowing toward the edge: a "V" -like construction when the blade is viewed from above.
The thicker the basis of the blade ( to a reasonable degree) , the more powerful its splitting action.
In the book by James Douglas Gamble " Axes of war an power" there is a categorical statement : " If the blade was not V-shaped it was not war axe".
I am also somewhat perplexed by the decoration: pretty women and rabbits somehow do not associate with war ( in my mind).
Also: is the blade integral with the body of this axe? If it was attached to it by some means rather than being hammered together as a solid bloc, the mechanical integrity of the finished product would be compromised. What is your assessment of it?
Can you show the blade viewed from above?

4th January 2022, 01:49 AM	#6
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	I am wondering whether it might be ceremonial/parade rather than war axe. The fighting ones had blades very thick close to the head and narrowing toward the edge: a "V" -like construction when the blade is viewed from above. The thicker the basis of the blade ( to a reasonable degree) , the more powerful its splitting action. In the book by James Douglas Gamble " Axes of war an power" there is a categorical statement : " If the blade was not V-shaped it was not war axe". I am also somewhat perplexed by the decoration: pretty women and rabbits somehow do not associate with war ( in my mind). Also: is the blade integral with the body of this axe? If it was attached to it by some means rather than being hammered together as a solid bloc, the mechanical integrity of the finished product would be compromised. What is your assessment of it? Can you show the blade viewed from above?