THE DAGGER JAIPUR OR ALWAR, NORTH INDIA, 19TH CENTURY; THE SCABBARD PROBABLY HYDERABAD, SINDH, CIRCA 1800

The present combination of pesh-kabz and scabbard offer two different but brilliant approaches to the art of enamelling in India. The opulent diamond-set hilt of our dagger is closely comparable to the hilt and fittings of a dagger in the Royal Collection Trust which was presented to the Prince of Wales, the later King Edward VII, in 1877 by the Maharaja of Alwar (RCIN 11289). The Royal Collection dagger, of pesh-kabz shape, features three large diamond rosettes on each sides of the grip against a green ground. The ground is decorated similarly to our dagger hilt with small floral motifs and birds in polychrome enamels. The blade of the dagger is inscribed to the swordsmith Ibrahim who is recorded on other swords and daggers commissioned by the rulers of Alwar, however the style of gem-setting and enamelling is typical of 19th century Jaipur work and it is reasonable that the Alwar blade might have been paired with a Jaipur hilt. Two further similar examples from the mid-19th century are in the Victoria and Albert Museum. They include a diamond-set and enamelled elephant goad and sword with enamelled hilt and matching locket and chape (02693(IS) and 110 to B-1852). The latter was acquired by the museum from the Great Exhibition held in London in 1851 and, although not set with gems in a manner similar to the present lot, it is comparable for the small parrots included in the white ground amongst the larger floral decoration. A fine diamond-set and enamelled wine flask with similar decoration - albeit on a red ground - and settings to our hilt was sold in these Rooms, 4 October 2012, lot 217.

The scabbard is a rarer example of enamelling and was probably made in Sindh. The green ground on the upper and lower sections, and used for the meandering vines in middle use the same champlevé technique as found on the hilt. However, the large animals and flowers have been painted onto the gold base and fixed using an adhesive. The result is the ability to realise greater detail and employ tonal shading, demonstrated here to great effect. This technique is more usually found on late 18th and 19th century Iranian enamels (see a dagger in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 36.25.684a,b). The Talpur rulers of Sindh (1782-1843) were recorded to employ Iranian goldsmiths at their court (Jaffer and Okada, op.cit., p. 174).

Examples of Sindh enamels are rare. Similar early 19th century floral enamelled decoration from can be found on sword fittings in the Wallace Collection (OA1411) and Victoria and Albert Museum (3400&A/(IS)). Similarly decorated gold fittings are also found on a group of fine flintlock guns with examples in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (36.25.2152) and the Khalili Collection (David Alexander, The Arts of War, Arms and Armour of the 7th to 19th centuries, London, 1992, nos. 136-138, pp.202-205). Another was sold in these Rooms, 27 October 2022, lot 111. A scabbard for a knife in the al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait, is decorated with pink birds including a hawk swooping onto a smaller bird which relates to the hawks on our scabbard (LNS 1658 J). The jewelled scabbard ornament clearly indicates that at some point an intentional decision was made to associate the scabbard and the dagger, however in which order is unclear.