This rare and remarkable set of 19th century horn bow, or yay, and arrows from the Ottoman Empire in Turkey is a work of delicate sculpture and chromatic vibrancy. With its recurved composite form tapering towards the opposing tips, or kasan, the bow is testament to the structural mastery involved in creating a weapon that was both effective and aesthetically magnificent. The shape of the bow is known as hilal kuram, or crescent-moon curve.

Throughout the surface of the curving bow we observe the delicate application of colour in the shape of various ornate forms and cosmological icons. On the outer face of the bow, a central design of a rococo leafy scroll is painted in gold chromatic against the darkened surface of the bow; flanking this design are two semi-lunate forms facing outwards and painted in gold.

The presence of the lunar forms echoes the crescent moon chosen by Osman, the founder of the Ottoman Empire as a symbol of the stretches of the earth across which his kingdom would extend. Moving towards the tips of the bow, the star forms are followed each by another rococo leaf design.