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A MUGHAL GEM-SET JADE-HILTED DAGGER (KHANJAR), INDIA, 18TH/19TH CENTURY |
Estimate
25,000 - 35,000 GBP
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Description
- 30cm.
the jade hilt of pistol grip form decorated in low relief with a flowers and foliage on each face rising to a lobed pommel decorated with semi-precious stones, watered steel curved blade, the back-edge with a cusped reinforcing strip
Condition
In fairly good condition, probably re-set into hilt, oxidisation with associated discoloration to blade, the hilt with a few very minor scratches, some stones replaced, discoloration to original foil backing, the blade painted with the inventory number D79, as viewed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
The khanjar is said to have originated in the central Middle East among Turkic warriors and spread with the Mughal Empire to India. Such daggers were largely produced for the Mughal court in Jaipur with a particular predilection for the use of gem-inlaid white jade hilts. Such jewelled daggers were bequeathed by the Mughal Emperor to his courtiers as artistic status symbols. An example of this is visible in the seventeenth century Mughal Padshahnama (inv.no. RCIN 1005025.al), in the Royal Collection, depicting dignitaries of Shah Jahan’s court all armed with ornate weaponry.
The use of ornate floral lotus motifs upon the hilt was a design initiated under the auspices of the seventeenth century Emperor Shah Jahan and was an artistic norm by the beginning of the eighteenth century (Elgood 2015, p.38). The hilts were set with gemstones and then inlaid using the indigenous kundan technique. The particular nephrite jade used in such daggers was primarily found near the Kunlun mountains in China’s Xinjiang province and its wider Asiatic trade began with the fourteenth century Turco-Mongol Timurid dynasty, from which the Indian Mughals claimed descent. Such a coveting of jade, therefore, sought to reflect Mughal aspirations as the genealogical successors to the Mongol dynasty.
The use of ornate floral lotus motifs upon the hilt was a design initiated under the auspices of the seventeenth century Emperor Shah Jahan and was an artistic norm by the beginning of the eighteenth century (Elgood 2015, p.38). The hilts were set with gemstones and then inlaid using the indigenous kundan technique. The particular nephrite jade used in such daggers was primarily found near the Kunlun mountains in China’s Xinjiang province and its wider Asiatic trade began with the fourteenth century Turco-Mongol Timurid dynasty, from which the Indian Mughals claimed descent. Such a coveting of jade, therefore, sought to reflect Mughal aspirations as the genealogical successors to the Mongol dynasty.