Original Indian Circular Dahl Hide Shield with Great Provenance from the Indian Mutiny of 1857 – 1859

Description

Absolutely Original Item: One of a Kind and Excellent. Well this certain takes the Cake! Coming from an old collection, the old gentleman who sold us this treasure looked like he had been there! This is a very high quality Indian circular hide shield known as a DAHL, measuring 18″ in diameter and decorated with four gold washed engraved bosses for securing the grip straps with an Indian God panted to the center. The shield, itself of extremely high quality, could very easily date to 1750 or even earlier. The story however starts in LUCKNOW at the beginning of the Great Sepoy rebellion or better known as the Indian Mutiny.

On the rear of this shield is an ancient piece of paper stuck to hide inscribed in Victorian copper plate type handwriting as follows:-

This dahl shield hung in the home of Major C.F. Bruere
at Lucknow during the first days of the Rebellion when
the Natives rioted and assaulted the Bruere
residence, a faithful Sepoy seized this from
the wall to protect Mrs. Bruere, stopping a matchlock
ball hat was mortally aimed.

Sure enough upon close examination of the hide shield one can very clearly see where the matchlock lead ball impacted the seasoned…

Read More