Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace

Jens Nordlunde · 12th March 2005, 10:45 PM

Ian, have you noticed the way they hold the swords?

Jens

Ian · 12th March 2005, 11:32 PM

Yes, Jens. Kind of a mix. Some of the foot soldiers have blades that appear concave forwards, others convex forwards. I would have thought the "fuller" would run close to the spine of the blade on these weapons, so that they would likely have convex cutting edges. The cavalry seem to be holding their swords backwards and forwards too. Perhaps more artistic license.

LabanTayo · 13th March 2005, 01:45 AM

could it be that theyre resting the blades on their shoulders with the edge facing either in or out. if the edge is resting on the shoulder, then their hands would be in the correct position, whether the edge is in or out. kinda like holding a baseball bat on your shoulder. your knuckles would face upwards. just a thought.

Ian · 13th March 2005, 06:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LabanTayo

could it be that theyre resting the blades on their shoulders with the edge facing either in or out. if the edge is resting on the shoulder, then their hands would be in the correct position, whether the edge is in or out. kinda like holding a baseball bat on your shoulder. your knuckles would face upwards. just a thought.

Shelley:

I think you are probably correct. As a practicing swordsman, do you think would this be a common way to carry a sword, to have it resting on the shoulder?

Ian.

LabanTayo · 13th March 2005, 08:01 AM

look at the picture in Cato's book, Moro Swords, there are some guys resting a Kampilan and a Kris on their shoulder. i've seen other pics of this happening in other cultures. i cant recall where, but i have seen it.

Jens Nordlunde · 13th March 2005, 10:30 AM

Having had another look at the cavalry it seems as if they rest the flat side of the swords on the shoulder, with either the edge towards their neck or away from it.

Another artistic detail is, that the horses seem to be galloping- they are usually shown like that, but what about the poor chap in the left side of the first picture, holding the parasol – he is on foot – he must be quite a sportsman

.

Ian · 13th March 2005, 01:47 PM

Jens:

The more you look at the detail in these pictures, the more you see.

The foot soldiers are all marching in step. All the horses are galloping. Despite the rather stylized presentation, there is a surprising amount of detail. In each of the main pictures there is at least one guy looking back over his shoulder. There is a little more detail in the picture of the foot men: the faces are not in full profile (which they appear to be in the cavalry) and each man has a completely different face, almost as if the artist was drawing real people.

I am sure these murals have been restored retouched over the last 200+ years, especially since they were directly exposed to the weather on the outside surface of the building. But they still retain the flavor of Moghul art. Probably the work of several different artists orginally, they are some of the best examples of large Moghul art work I have seen.

Ian.

13th March 2005, 10:30 AM	#6
Jens Nordlunde Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Europe Posts: 2,718	Having had another look at the cavalry it seems as if they rest the flat side of the swords on the shoulder, with either the edge towards their neck or away from it. Another artistic detail is, that the horses seem to be galloping- they are usually shown like that, but what about the poor chap in the left side of the first picture, holding the parasol – he is on foot – he must be quite a sportsman . Last edited by Jens Nordlunde; 13th March 2005 at 11:25 AM.

12th March 2005, 10:45 PM	#1
Jens Nordlunde Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Europe Posts: 2,718	Ian, have you noticed the way they hold the swords? Jens

12th March 2005, 11:32 PM	#2
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,523	Yes, Jens. Kind of a mix. Some of the foot soldiers have blades that appear concave forwards, others convex forwards. I would have thought the "fuller" would run close to the spine of the blade on these weapons, so that they would likely have convex cutting edges. The cavalry seem to be holding their swords backwards and forwards too. Perhaps more artistic license.

13th March 2005, 01:45 AM	#3
LabanTayo Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Kansas City Posts: 177	could it be that theyre resting the blades on their shoulders with the edge facing either in or out. if the edge is resting on the shoulder, then their hands would be in the correct position, whether the edge is in or out. kinda like holding a baseball bat on your shoulder. your knuckles would face upwards. just a thought.

13th March 2005, 08:01 AM	#5
LabanTayo Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Kansas City Posts: 177	look at the picture in Cato's book, Moro Swords, there are some guys resting a Kampilan and a Kris on their shoulder. i've seen other pics of this happening in other cultures. i cant recall where, but i have seen it.

13th March 2005, 01:47 PM	#7
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,523	Jens: The more you look at the detail in these pictures, the more you see. The foot soldiers are all marching in step. All the horses are galloping. Despite the rather stylized presentation, there is a surprising amount of detail. In each of the main pictures there is at least one guy looking back over his shoulder. There is a little more detail in the picture of the foot men: the faces are not in full profile (which they appear to be in the cavalry) and each man has a completely different face, almost as if the artist was drawing real people. I am sure these murals have been restored retouched over the last 200+ years, especially since they were directly exposed to the weather on the outside surface of the building. But they still retain the flavor of Moghul art. Probably the work of several different artists orginally, they are some of the best examples of large Moghul art work I have seen. Ian.