Splendour: The Philippe Missillier Collection of Islamic & Indian Arms and Armour

A Mughal Jade-Hilted Knife in the Form of a Camel, India, 17th Century

Auction Closed

April 29, 12:32 PM GMT

Estimate

15,000 - 25,000 GBP

Lot Details

Description

the blade of tapered watered steel with a clear ‘Muhammad’s ladder’ pattern, the milk-white jade hilt with pommel in the form of a rutting domesticated camel with protruding dulla, the locket with traces of overlaid gold, the fabric-covered wooden scabbard with steel chape

27cm.

Philippe Missillier Collection no.11C

H. Ricketts and P. Missillier, Splendeur des Armes Orientales, Paris: Acte-Expo, 1988, p.95, no.152

Although zoomorphic jade hilts were popular at the Mughal court, the use of a camel’s head is more unusual. Here, the camel is depicted with an inflated dulla. This organ is normally contained in the camel’s throat but is exposed outside the mouth by males during rutting season in order to attract a mate. A comparable dagger is in the Moser Collection, Bern (Zeller-Rohrer, pl.XLVII, no.206, p.198).

Two further jade hilts carved as camel heads were formerly in the Al Thani collection (Amin Jaffer (editor), Beyond Extravagance, New York: Assouline, 2019, p.155, nos.126 & 127). One is mounted on a knife blade, as here (Jaffer 2019, p.155, no.127). Both have a domed head and may be Bactrian camels while the present hilt possibly depicts a dromedary, also known as an Arabian camel.