Jeweled gun of Sultan Mahmud I, dated 1732-1733

Along with the more traditional jeweled sword and scabbard, this impressive gun served as a ceremonial object, held by one of Sultan Mahmud I’s attendants during state ceremonies. While the flamboyant decoration of the gun lent itself to public spectacle, the experience of extracting its treasures from the gun’s stock is a more personal act. This video reveals the various components of this ornate gun. This gun was in the exhibition, "Pearls on a String: Artists, Patrons, and Poets at the Great Islamic Courts" (on view at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco from Feb. 26, 2016 to May 8, 2016; www.asianart.org/exhibitions/p...) and is from the collection of the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore: art.thewalters.org/detail/2265...