PROBABLY HYDERABAD, DECCAN, 18TH CENTURY

Details

AN ENAMELLED AND GEMSET GOLD MOUNTED DAGGER (KHANJAR)
PROBABLY HYDERABAD, DECCAN, 18TH CENTURY
The watered steel double-edged recurved blade completely plain, the pistol-grip gold hilt extensively set with rubies, emeralds and green enamel in the form of flowering plants and foliage, with blue enamel plait, the dark red cloth covered wooden sheath with gemset and enamelled gold chape and locket, en suite with the hilt, very slight loss of enamel to edges
14½in. (37cm.) long

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis

Lot Essay

It is very rare indeed to find a dagger with complete gold hilt, locket and chape en suite and in this condition dating from the 18th century. A dagger of very similar design and workmanship is in the David Collection (K. von Folsach: Art from the World of Islam Copenhagen, 2001, no.569, p.343). Both have as their main decoration green enamel coupled with a few inset rubies set against a gold ground. The present example is considerably less restrained and more exuberant in its decoration than the Copenhagen example. Both use as their secondary enamel colour an opaque light blue. A third dagger with ruby and diamond inset decoration of very similar design to the Copenhagen dagger is in the al-Sabah Collection (M. Keene and S. Kaoukji: Treasury fo the World, London, 2001, no.6.52, p.84). That dagger is attributed probably to Hyderabad int he Deccan. The colouring of the enamels on the Copenhagen dagger would certainly be coinsistent with that origin, and that is certainly the most likely place of manufacture for the present luxurious example.

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