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Collections

Unknown
Dagger Hilt with Triple Lotus Bud Pommelcirca 1700-1750

Not on view
Carved celadon jade vessel with an openwork crown, tapered body, and flared foot, mounted throughout with gold settings and red and green gemstones in floral patterns
Pale celadon jade vase with a flared base and openwork crown rim, inlaid with gold scrollwork and ruby-red gemstones in floral and leaf motifs across the body, neck, and base.
Pale celadon jade handle with gold mounts set with red and green gemstones in floral and leaf motifs at the top, middle, and base.
Pale celadon jade handle of cylindrical form with slightly flared ends, set with gold mounts and inlaid red, pink, and green gemstones in teardrop and floral arrangements along the shaft and terminals.
Pale celadon jade vase with flared, ruffled rim and splayed foot, elaborately mounted with gold settings inlaid with ruby-red and emerald-green gemstones in floral and foliate patterns.
Artist or Maker
Unknown
Title
Dagger Hilt with Triple Lotus Bud Pommel
Place Made
India, Mughal empire
Date Made
circa 1700-1750
Medium
White nephrite jade inlaid with rubies, diamonds, and emeralds set in gold
Dimensions
4 7/8 x 2 1/8 x 3/4 in. (12.38 x 5.4 x 1.91 cm)
Credit Line
From the Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection, Museum Associates Purchase
Accession Number
M.76.2.14
Classification
Arms and Armor
Collecting Area
South and Southeast Asian Art
Curatorial Notes

This exquisite dagger hilt is made of white nephrite jade inlaid with rubies, diamonds, and emeralds set in gold. It is embellished with a pommel in the form of three bejeweled lotus buds on openwork individual stalks interspersed with two triangular leaves, most likely intended as schematic representations of acanthus leaves. The stalks rise out of a vase-like form, which suggests the bouquet is an allusion to the ancient Buddhist and Hindu "vase-of-plenty" symbolizing abundance and vitality. The surface of the vase is ornamented on each side with an eight-petaled open blossom inlaid in gold with ruby petals and a diamond pistil in the center. The blossoms issue gold vines with ruby leaves that extend along the scrolling edges of the pommel bars. Delicate chiseling of the gold at the base of leaves and around the central diamond is selectively employed for artistic effect. Similar gem-set floral motifs grace the scrolling quillons (cross guards) at the mouth of the hilt. Demarcated by plain roll borders, the baluster vase-shaped grip is unadorned except for four ruby and gold trefoil-shaped leaves set at opposite points on the vase’s shoulders. Their visual emphasis, enhanced by the lack of the commonplace shallow relief floral decoration on the surface of the jade bespeaks an austere elegance reminiscent of the white marble monuments inlaid with gemstones that were introduced by the Emperor Shah Jahan (r. 1628-58) and emulated by succeeding Mughal monarchs.

Selected Bibliography
  • Zumaya, Diva. The World Made Wondrous: the Dutch Collector's Cabinet and the Politics of Possession. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2023.