A rare and important gold and silver-inlaid dagger, Ghaznavid or Seljuk, Eastern Persia, 11th/12th century

the gently curved stiletto blade cross-form in section with a flattened back edge in the section below the hilt, the vertical edges retaining inlaid decoration in gold and silver composed of friezes of running animals and bands of cursive calligraphy on a ground of foliate scrolls additionally with elongated rope-twist terminals, a top section of the back edge engraved with a repeating design of stylised palmettes within paired leaves all heightened with gilt, an integral collar engraved with bands of interlocking palmettes, possibly with traces of a resinous substance, and inlaid in silver with a symmetrical arabesque, housing a curved slender wood hilt, the domed pommel with traces of an inlaid gold scroll design

In fair overall condition, consistent with age, steel blade corroded and pitted, minor chips to the four edges, remnants of gold- and silver-inlaid calligraphic inscription, zoomorphic and floral decoration, remnants of gilding to back edge of forte, hilt of original wood with steel collar, interlacing motif still inlaid with silver, wood with some wormholes and abrasions, pommel with remnants of gold 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

al-umma (?) … [abi?]talib ‘Nation of’;  [Abi?] Talib; wali al-anam [abi?] ‘Guardian of mankind [Abi] Talib’

The present dagger is an extremely early and rare example of a courtly piece of weaponry, with original wood hilt and steel stiletto-form blade finely inlaid with gold and silver stylised floral, zoomorphic and calligraphic decoration. There are very few extant examples of such daggers in museum and private collections, rendering the dagger to hand a remarkable survival.

Decoration

Of the small number of examples of weaponry of this period, including pieces in the Topkapi Saray Museum, Furusiyya Art Foudation, Vaduz and the Sabah Collection, Kuwait, an even smaller number are decorated with astonishingly intricate inlaid designs using gold and silver. There remains, in this dagger, sufficient inlay to understand the delicacy and beauty of its decoration. This lavish intent, taken with the other examples of this period, including those from the Khazar kingdom in the Caucasus (Paris 2007, p.29), promotes the notion that there was a tradition amongst the elite of the broader region, whether under the rule of the Khazars, Samanids, Ghurids, Ghaznavids or Seljuks, for weaponry decorated in a highly sophisticated manner. It is also a significant remnant of the material culture of this period and as such provides rare insight into the manner in which the elite of this period chose to ornament their lives.

Although there is one unpublished and closely related dagger in a Middle Eastern private collection, amongst the published examples of daggers with inlaid decoration in gold and silver there is distinct variation in the nature of the designs employed. Some seem to have parallels closer to contemporary textiles (such as Paris 2007, p.146, no.138). The designs on the present dagger seem more closely comparable to friezes found on metalwork and carved stone of this period, though the elongated form may have necessitated this choice. The frieze of running animals has the same lively air as that carved into an ivory hilt of the eleventh-twelfth century and tentatively assigned to a workshop in Herat (Paris 2007, p.149, no.141). On another carved ivory hilt of this period is a design of interlocking palmettes handled in the same robust and almost playful manner displayed by those on our dagger. The combination of running animals and cursive calligraphy, the principal motifs on our dagger, appear together in a similar arrangement on a sword blade of this date also in the Furusiyya Art Foundation Collection (Paris 2007, p.38-9, no.9).  These depictions of running animals were an established decorative scheme by the early years of Seljuk rule as can be demonstrated by a pencase in the Freer Gallery of Art, Washington, which has related friezes combined with calligraphy as well as a date of 607 AH/1210-11 AD (Washington 1985, pp.102-5, no.14). Made for the grand vizier of the last Khwarizmshahs, Ala al-Din Muhammad, its decoration is more formulaic than that of the dagger perhaps suggesting a slightly earlier date for the latter. The lively naturalism apparent in the designs on the dagger is more closely comparable to a freedom displayed in the repoussé and engraved metalwork of this period. Of the latter, a brass candlestick (sold in these rooms, 24 April 1997, lot 49) combines in its decoration bounding elongated animals with cursive script and rope-twist motifs, all of the elements displayed on the dagger. A similar sense of movement can be discerned in the animal frieze engraved on a bell metal tray in the Victoria and Albert Museum (Melikian-Chirvani 1982, pp.96-7, no.27). In terms of inlaid work, outside of the small group of daggers discussed, comparables can only be caught in glimpses such as on the hand-shaped terminal excavated at Nishapur (Allan 1982, p.104, no.186).

Form

Not only does the decoration vary amongst the small number of extant daggers of this period, but the forms of both hilt and blade are diverse. The narrow gently curving shape of our stiletto blade, ideal for piercing chainmail, is very similar to that of another dagger of this group (Paris 2007, p.150, no.143). This also has the broadened and decorated section of back edge just below the hilt. However the median ridge of our dagger is centred in a manner more closely comparable to another, though undecorated, example in the Furusiyya Art Foundation Collection (Paris 2007, p.147, no.139). The comparison continues to the use of a collar rather than quillons and to the wood hilt. The flattened section of the back edge shared by all three daggers becomes a characteristic feature of later Persian kards and the continuous curve from pommel to tip appears in later daggers as well.  

The abovementioned dagger in a Middle Eastern private collection shares a similar hilt to the present example, and has a Kufic inscription dedicated to a ruler with the title of Taj al-dawla. This has been attributed to the late Ghaznavid ruler Khusraw Malik (r.1160-86 AD), although there was also a Buyid ruler who carried the same title. In any case, since at this period there was a great similarity in hilt forms between the Samanids, Ghaznavids, Buyids and even Seljuks, workshops in eastern Iranian areas are likely to have made weapons for any of the rulers or noblemen of the above dynasties. Indeed, the region of north-eastern Persia and Afghanistan had a long-standing and renowned metalworking tradition, and the skills of the silversmith turned to the production of inlaid sheet metal, principally brass (Allan 1982, p.21). It was this region that produced the finest Persian swords in this period, producing both steel for export for this purpose but also the best weaponry for which Ghor was most famed.