KoP's Imperium

Diamond sabre (second-half 17th-century sabre with a diamond setting added c. 1712)

The Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien

Ottoman sabre later embellished in Vienna with an elaborate diamond setting around 1712, transforming it into a ceremonial jewel weapon.

Type: ceremonial weapon, sabre

Origin: Turkey (sabre); Vienna (diamond setting)

Material: Damascus steel (possibly containing meteoritic iron), gold, silver, gilt silver, diamonds, zircon, wood, leather

Technique: Forging, gilding, gem setting

Decoration: Diamond-set hilt and mounts

Inscription: Arabic inscriptions; medallion: "In the name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful"; spine: "Help from God and a near victory, and glad tidings to the believers"

Photo: Marta Literska