Sheath of a Thuma

1176 AH/AD 1762-1763

The Walters Art Museum
Baltimore, United States

The chased front of the sheath is has a perforated, arabesque floral and tendril décor. The buckle is a modern replacement and has rhombic and bead-molded attachments. The tip is formed in the shape of a bud.

The back is blank, but has a stamp with the date in Arabic: Qifal 1176. The date belongs to the reign of al-Mahdi al "Abbas (AH 1161-1189/AD 1748-1775).

An engraved inscription in Hebrew names the silversmith: Sulayman Maswari, rub'i. The term "rub'i" is Arabic (but written here in Hebrew script) and means "half."

Show lessRead more

Details

Title: Sheath of a Thuma
Creator: Sulayman Maswari (Yemeni, active ca. 1762)
Date Created: 1176 AH/AD 1762-1763
External Link: For more information about this and thousands of other works of art in the Walters Art Museum collection, please visit art.thewalters.org
Roles: Silversmith: Sulayman Maswari (Yemeni, active ca. 1762)
Reign: Al-Mahdi al ΓÇÿAbbas (AH 1161-1189/AD 1748-1775)
Provenance: Mr. Derek Content and Mr. Benjamin Zucker [Zucker Family Trust] London and New York, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 2010, by gift.
Object Type: daggers; sheaths (cases)
Medium: silver with remains of gilding
Inscriptions: [Stamp] In Arabic: Qifal 1176; [Engraved] In Hebrew: Sulayman Maswari, rub'i
Exhibitions: Diadem and Dagger: Jewish Artisans of Yemen. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. 2012-2013.
Dimensions: L: 9 7/16 x W: 2 3/8 in. (24 x 6.1 cm)
Culture: Zaydi Muslim
Credit Line: Joint gift to the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, and the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, by Mr. Derek Content and Mr. Benjamin Zucker in honor of Mrs. Amanda Content and Mrs. Barbara Zucker, 2010
Classification: Arms & Armor
Accession Number: 51.145

Additional Items

Sulayman Maswari (Yemeni, active ca. 1762)

Get the app

Explore museums and play with Art Transfer, Pocket Galleries, Art Selfie, and more

Zoom in