A Mughal gem-set jade-hilted dagger and scabbard, India, 17th-18th century

the double-sided curved watered-steel blade with central ridge and forte with gold-overlaid arabesques and inscription, the jade hilt with pistol grip, rounded pommel and scroll quillons, with flowering stems of inlaid gold set with foil-backed rubies and emeralds, the textile-covered wooden scabbard with jade lock and chape set with rubies and silver wire

Collection Max Dreger, Berlin, before 1925.
Sammlung Max Dreger / Berlin, Rudolph Lepke's Kunst-Auctions-Haus, Berlin, 8 December 1925, lot 82.
Collection Brøns Hansen, Copenhagen, 1980s and before.

Griffwaffen aus der Sammlung Max Dreger / Berlin: Europa und Orient, Rudolph Lepke's Kunst-Auctions-Haus, Berlin, Katalog 1947, 8 Dezember 1925.
Islamic Arms and Armour from Private Danish Collections, Copenhagen, 1982, pp.144-5, no.102.
Vaaben-historiske aarbøger, XXXV, Copenhagen, 1989, p.83, fig.74a.

This item is in good condition. Very minor losses to the inlaid gold and silver. Minor loss to a small gem on the edge of the pommel, minor losses to the scabbard throughout. Minor rub marks on the damascene decoration. 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."

inscriptions
ya ' ali
'O Ali'

ya fattah
'O Opener [of the gates of sustenance]'

A related dagger is in the Türckische Cammer ('Turkish Chamber') of the Electors of Saxony in Dresden (inv.no.Y143), first recorded in the collection in 1838. This weapon was seized as booty from the Ottomans during the occupation of Varna by the Russian army in 1828, during the Greek War of Independence (1827-29). The Dresden dagger was subsequently given by Tsar Nicholas I of Russia to his brother-in-law, Prince Carl of Prussia, who later gave it to the Dresden Rüstkammer in exchange for another object (Schuckelt, H., The Turkish Chamber: Oriental Splendour in the Dresden Armoury, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, 2010, pp.124-5)