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Lot Essay
The form of this jade ‘pistol-grip’ hilt is a rare variant, in which the grip is constricted above a bulbous quillon block with downward-pointing quillon tips. The same construction can be seen on a grey-green nephrite dagger hilt in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (760&A-1903), which is carved with spiraling grip and dense stylised foliage on the balustre pommel. On the present dagger, the same exceptionally fine carving is deployed to great effect in the rendition of a poppy and marigold motif that would not look out of place in the borders of the Shah Jahan album.
A gem-set example of this rare form is in the al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait (LNS 76 HS ab), which Salam Kaoukji attributes to the 18th century Deccan (Salam Kaoukji, Precious Indian Weapons and Other Princely Accoutrements, London, 2017, pp. 178-79). In addition to its form, it shares with the present dagger the use of palmette motifs on the quillon block and at the base of the grip, but executed in orange foil-backed rock crystal.
A gem-set example of this rare form is in the al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait (LNS 76 HS ab), which Salam Kaoukji attributes to the 18th century Deccan (Salam Kaoukji, Precious Indian Weapons and Other Princely Accoutrements, London, 2017, pp. 178-79). In addition to its form, it shares with the present dagger the use of palmette motifs on the quillon block and at the base of the grip, but executed in orange foil-backed rock crystal.