An Exceptional Mughal Jade-Hilted Dagger in the form of a Horse, India, 17th Century
Auction Closed
April 29, 12:32 PM GMT
Estimate
50,000 - 80,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
the curved double-edged watered steel blade with central ridge and chiselled arabesque at the forte, the arabesque overlaid with gold, the pale green hilt carved in the form of a horse’s head at the pommel, the eyes inlaid with gold and set with black-and-white onyx, the guard carved with the heads of two rams and two lions, the rams forming the quillons, the eyes of each animal set inlaid with gold and set with rubies, the red textile scabbard with a repeating boteh-motif executed with gold-thread, the mounts silver, in purpose-made velvet case
41cm.
Philippe Missillier Collection no.183C
Spink and Son Ltd., Islamic Art from India, London, 1980, no.17
H. Ricketts and P. Missillier, Splendeur des Armes Orientales, Paris: Acte-Expo, 1988, p.95, no.153.
The combination of multiple animals at the quillons on a hilt carved from a single block of jade is extremely rare and marks this as an outstanding and possibly unique hilt.
The use of brown-and-white banded onyx for the horse’s eyes is seen on a handful of exceptional seventeenth-century dagger hilts, including in a gold guard featuring two tiger heads and set with a gem-set rock crystal hilt, previously owned by Claude Martin and now in the Wallace Collection, London (inv. no.OA1415), and on the famous jewelled gold chilanum-style dagger now in the al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait (inv. no.LNS 25 J, Salam Kaoukji, Precious Indian Weapons and Other Princely Accoutrements, London: Thames & Hudson, 2017, pp.92-95). The fine carving of the multiple animal motifs, as well as their innovative rendition, suggest creation at the Mughal court at a similar date.
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