OTTOMAN HORN BOW AND ARROWS

Horn, wood, lacquer, feathers
19th century

Bow length: 64cm

This rare and remarkable set of 19th century horn bow, or yay, and arrows from the Ottoman Empire in Turkey is a work of delicate sculpture and chromatic vibrancy. With its recurved composite form tapering towards the opposing tips, or kasan, the bow is testament to the structural mastery involved in creating a weapon that was both effective and aesthetically magnificent. The shape of the bow is known as hilal kuram, or crescent-moon curve.

Throughout the surface of the curving bow we observe the delicate application of colour in the shape of various ornate forms and cosmological icons. On the outer face of the bow, a central design of a rococo leafy scroll is painted in gold chromatic against the darkened surface of the bow; flanking this design are two semi-lunate forms facing outwards and also painted in gold.

The presence of the lunar forms echoes the crescent moon chosen by Osman, the founder of the Ottoman Empire as a symbol of the stretches of the earth across which his kingdom would extend. These lunar forms are followed inwards by two star icons, also painted in gold; together they represent Islam, its religion, and its people. Moving towards the tips of the bow, the star forms are followed each by another rococo leaf design.

At the centre of the bow, a raised grip is the base for another intricate visual feast: on a red background, a complex arabesque of scrolling vines covers the frontal section and into the inner face of the bow while also extending along the inner edges of the bow as a series of twisting lanceolate forms that can be seen on the upper and lower edges of the bow from the front. Subsequently, this section moves into the front aspect of the bow towards the tips. Notable is the absence of an arrow rest by the grip and denoting the remarkable precision and control necessary for the archer to have. Like most nations of Central Asian origin, Ottoman archers shot with thumb releases. A thumb-ring, sometimes made of semi-precious stone and highly decorated, was worn to protect the thumb and aid the draw.

The rest of the inner face of the bow is decorated with golden floral sprays on a red background, a refinement and detail that one would expect for an important personage and indicating that this was probably a ceremonial weapon.

The limbs of the bow terminate in rounded tips preceded by well-defined string grooves cut diagonally into the bow; these are painted in gold chromatic, further establishing the balance between the rich colours of this object. We have observed that the tips of the bow do not sit in perfect alignment when rested on a flat surface and this indicates the force of the tension when the bow was strung, modifying the curvature of each individual limb in this very particular way and testament to its ancient use.

The six arrows that accompany the bow are individually labelled in Arabic script and numbered; the name on the arrows possibly identifies the owner as ‘Agha’ or chief. The rear section of the arrows, known as the knock and where the arrow fits into the string of the bow, is painted in red whereas the rest of the arrow is left in its natural wood colour along the shaft and all the way to the arrow point.

Near the rear of the arrow, sections of the original feather fletching are still visible. At two sections along the shaft, we observe the circumference of the shaft wrapped with sinew and covered with black material, possibly a fine bark; this was probably used to guide the archer’s hand and for stability when shooting.

All the arrows are inscribed 248 in Arabic numerals, which we believe could refer this either to the archer number or, as it was not unusual to date Islamic works in Hijri without mentioning the millennia, to the year A.H. 1248, which corresponds to AD 1893. The rest of the inscription reads رامن which in Arabic means a person who is an archer; however, one of the arrows has اغا or agha inscribed after the word رامن, (Agha (Turkish: ağa; Ottoman Turkish: اغا; Persian: آقا, romanized: āghā; “chief, master, lord”), an honorific title for a civilian or officer, or often part of such title. In the Ottoman times, some court functionaries, and leaders of organizations like bazaar or the janissary units were entitled to the agha title.

Similar bows and arrows are known to date from as early as the 16th century. Early examples were exhibited at the 2012 exhibition at the 2012 Topkapi Museum, Harem. House of the Sultan. There are comparable examples in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York [Acc. No. 35.113.1a–oo] and The British Museum, London [Acc. No. As1954,07.6].

General Bibliography:
Karpowicz, Adam, Ottoman Turkish Bows, Manufacture, and Design, Ludwigshafen, 2015.
Klopsteg, Paul E, Turkish Archery and the Composite Bow, Manchester, 1987.

Provenance: Christie’s, London, 10 April 2014, Lot 220