This item has been added to the Database within the Explore Islamic Art Collections project. Information is available in: English, German, Arabic.

Name of Object:

Battle axe of a member of the Sultan's Guard

Location:

Vienna, Austria

Holding Museum:

Kunsthistorisches Museum

About Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

Date of Object:

Hegira 900–904 / AD 1495–1499

Museum Inventory Number:

HJRK_C_113

Material(s) / Technique(s):

Iron, gold damascening, heat-blued

Dimensions:

Length: 99.5cm, Width: 20.5cm

Period / Dynasty:

Mamluk

Provenance:

Egypt?

Description:

This axe belonged to a member of the Life Guards of Sultan Muhammad ibn Qaytbay from the Caucasian-Burji Mamluks. The Mamluks ruled Egypt and Syria from AD 1250 until their empire fell to the Ottomans in AD 1517, when a wealth of Mamluk booty was removed to Istanbul.

How date and origin were established:

Inscription

How Object was obtained:

Via Istanbul; long-standing Imperial property

How provenance was established:

Inventories of the Imperial property

Selected bibliography:

Pfaffenbichler, Matthias and Sternthal, Barbara (eds), Kreuzritter. Pilger. Krieger. Abenteurer, Schallaburg: Schallaburg Kulturbetriebsgesellschaft, 2007.
Thomas, Bruno and Gamber, Ortwin, Katalog der Leibrüstkammer I. Teil. Der Zeitraum von 500 bis 1530, Wien: Verlag Anton Schroll & Co, 1976.
Thomas, Bruno, "Aus der Waffensammlung in der Neuen Burg zu Wien: Orientalische Kostbarkeiten", Bustan, 4 : 5 (1963/64).

Citation of this web page:

Matthias Pfaffenbichler, Tobias Roeder "Battle axe of a member of the Sultan's Guard" in Explore Islamic Art Collections. Museum With No Frontiers, 2026.
https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;EPM;at;Mus22;20;en

Prepared by: Matthias Pfaffenbichler, Tobias Roeder
Copyedited by: Liz Cooper

MWNF Working Number: AT2 20