‡˜A VERY FINE IMPERIAL RUSSIAN GOLD INLAID AND IVORY-MOUNTED PRESENTATION CAUCASIAN SABRE (SHASQA), KUBACHI, LATE 19TH CENTURY with curved blade formed with three long fullers, encrusted in gold with Arabic couplets on each face (very small areas of very light pitting), blued iron hilt (the bluing largely oxidised to brown), inlaid with engraved gold designs of scrolling leafy foliage within beadwork frames, characteristic eared pommel set on each face with a panel of ivory inlaid with chased gold en suite with the hilt, in its original blued iron scabbard inlaid with engraved gold designs of scrolling leafy foliage within beadwork frames including a cartouche enclosed by foliage with the maker's signature at the top, in translation "Work of 'Abdullah", the outer face formed of an iron framework with locket, chape and two bands all inlaid in engraved gold with a more dense pattern of scrolling leafy foliage, the two bands each set with a polychrome enamel oval decorated with flowers and divided by two large ivory plaques inlaid with engraved gold en suite with the pommel, and a further panel of ivory at the top with the Imperial cypher of Nicholas II, with two gold inlaid iron rings for suspension, and complete with its bullion belt with matching gold inlaid ivory mounts, in a modern lined and fitted Asprey & Co case 78.7 cm; 31 in blade The couplets read "zada dawlat sahib hadha al-sayf wa 'umrahu / wa qadrahu wa baraka fi 'iyalihi w'anala maqsadahu", ("May the fortune and life of the owner of this sword increase / And his stature, and [God] bless his family and grant him his desire.") and "fi'l-'fizz wa'l-ghalba wa anala allah / ila muradihi bi-rahmat allah" ("In glory and in conquest, and may God grant / His desire, through God's mercy.") The town of Kubachi in Dagestan has a long history of arms production, the name roughly translating as 'mail master'. The inhabitants apparently supplied Tamerlane with mail and other weapons in the 15th Century though the town is now best known for the deluxe weapons produced there during the second half of the 19th century such as the present example. Sword makers were skilled at imitating decoration found elsewhere such as the gold-encrusted Arabic inscriptions frequently encountered on sword blades. See Miller 2000, pp. 256-266.