From the Life in the Sikh Kingdoms collection ·
The full story
Courtly swords were both weapons and works of art. A sword associated with Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the Wallace Collection has a patterned wootz-steel blade, a walrus-ivory hilt and lavish gold decoration. Animal forms, pearls and precious stones turn its fittings into a display of craftsmanship.
The museum traces that sword to an 1865 exhibition catalogue and identifies Awadh as its likely place of production. Such objects travelled between courts as gifts and prized possessions.
“Sword of Akal Sahai” is this campaign card’s title. The illustrated gold hilt and inscription do not authenticate a surviving sword of that name or establish ownership by Ranjit Singh.
Research & sources
Follow the historical record behind this card. Campaign artwork is an interpretation; an object’s ownership, appearance or a person’s likeness needs its own evidence.
Place it in the wider story.
Treasures of the Sikh Empire ↗
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