The Maratha Pata or gauntlet sword is believed to have been used by expert swordsmen and is uniquely suited to horsemen. The steel gauntlet covers the hand, wrist, and most of the forearm.
The sword is held by employing two mechanisms within the gauntlet; the hand is inserted into the gauntlet past a serpentine floating metal cross-bar, up to the mid-forearm before grasping a floating metal pipe surrounding a rigid centre cross-bar, the hand making a fist around the floating pipe. The flex of the forearm muscle and the grip of the hand make this fit very snug. Padding would have originally been lining the inner gauntlet and perhaps a glove was also worn. This sword becomes an effective extension of the arm. The blade is quite flexible and it is believed they were designed to bend when striking a more solid object, minimizing the possibility of unhorsing the rider.
This very rare gauntlet sword dates from the mid 16th to early 17th Century and is fitted with a German trade blade.
Blades from the main European manufacturers were routinely shipped as trade items to India and the Far East. During the 16th and 17th Century these blades were highly prized by Indian armourers as their quality far exceeded that of the locally made blades.
This stunning and unusually long gauntlet sword bears a 39.75 inch / 101 cm double edged flexible blade with a short central fuller along which is stamped the word “Solingen” followed by a symbol which looks to be either the numeral one or a capital letter “I”. Below this is the Solingen orb. This style of orb dates the blade to the 16th Century. The blade is in exceptionally good condition for its age and shows battle related wear.
The steel gauntlet retains the majority of a thick yellow and white metal foil/plating which may be a 19th Century embellishment.
Overall length 52 inches / 132 cm.
