- Title
- Dagger (Khanjar)
- Date Made
- Hilt: circa 1675-1700; Blade and sheath fittings, circa 1800-50
- Medium
- White nephrite jade hilt and sheath fittings inlaid with foil-backed rubies, emeralds, and diamonds set in gold; steel blade; velvet covered wooden sheath
- Dimensions
- overall: 16 7/8 x 3 x 1 in. (42.8625 x 7.62 x 2.54 cm)
Sheath: 11 1/4 in.
Dagger: 14 5/8 x 3 x 1 in.
- Accession Number
- M.71.1.35a
- Collecting Area
- South and Southeast Asian Art
- Curatorial Notes
Fashioned in the shape of a pistol-grip, the surface of the white nephrite jade hilt is enriched with alternating columns of rubies and emeralds set in gold floral motifs. The more prominent emeralds are carved in leaf forms, with the cabochon rubies functioning primarily as visual accents. Asymmetrically cut diamonds on the pommel and above the mouth of the hilt aesthetically anchor the composition as the centerpieces of floral sprays formed by gemstones. The jade locket and chape of the green velvet-covered wooden sheath are encrusted with rubies and emeralds set in gold floral designs. The dagger blade is straight with a raised central rib and reinforced tip. Raised cartouches near the blade’s hilt are embellished with decorative pseudo-Arabic inscriptions inlaid in gold in a damascene technique known as koftgari (made by beating).
The pistol-grip shaped hilt, originally a European weaponry form, was occasionally envisioned in South Asia as a stylized depiction of a parrot head. While this hilt may be attributed to around 1675 to 1700 on stylistic grounds, the superficially similar fittings of its sheath are stiffer in their design treatment and therefore likely later in date from around 1800-50, indicating that the present sheath is a later replacement. The current blade is probably also a replacement, which is partially corroborated by its nonsensical inscription, an occasional feature during the 19th century when myriad ornate weapons were produced or modified.
- Selected Bibliography
- Rosenfield, John. The Arts of India and Nepal: The Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection. Boston: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1966.
- Markel, Stephen. "The Use of Flora and Fauna Imagery in Mughal Decorative Arts." Marg 50, no. 3 (March 1999).
Pal, Pratapaditya, Thomas W. Lentz, Sheila R. Canby, Edwin Binney, 3rd, Walter B. Denny, and Stephen Markel. "Arts from Islamic Cultures: Los Angeles County Museum of Art." Arts of Asia 17, no. 6 (November/December 1987): 73-130.
Markel, Stephen. "The Enigmatic Image: Curious Subjects in Indian Art." Asianart.com, July 28, 2015. http://asianart.com/articles/enigmatic.
- Komaroff, Linda. Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016.