The crown jewel of LACMA’s South Asian decorative art collection is a sublime dagger inscribed in gold on the almost certainly original watered-steel blade as belonging to the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb (r. 1658–1707) and dating it from 1660–61 (AH 1071). The dagger’s exquisite hilt in the form of a horse's head is superbly modeled in light green nephrite jade with areas of the burnt-orange skin of the jade left on the surface to serve as highlights in its delicately incised mane. The horse’s head is an artistic tour de force that likely portrays an Arabian stallion, which was generally regarded as the superior breed by the Mughals and, therefore, befitting the supreme status of the emperor. The horse is rendered in naturalistic detail and imbued with a martial spirit appropriate to Aurangzeb who spent much of his rule on military campaigns. The imperial charger is ready for battle: his ears are laid back, his nostrils flare, and his lips snarl.
Extending along the central axis on both faces of the blade is a stylized acanthus leaf cast in the steel and gilded, and a gilded royal parasol, symbolic of its imperial ownership and possibly indicating the dagger’s honorific status as a presentation item bestowed by the emperor.
Imperial Mughal daggers and swords were typically embellished with hilts made of precious materials, often bejeweled, and their blades were crafted of the finest damascene steel (layers of metal forged together and etched to enhance the watered pattern). They were often given to high-ranking officers for meritorious service or bravery. The wearing at court of such ornate daggers and swords by the nobility signified their royal favor. Unique or exceptionally fine daggers are frequently documented in imperial Mughal accounts as among the most esteemed gifts suitable for the emperor.
See Stephen Markel, "Mughal Jades: A Technical and Sculptural Perspective." Asianart.com (July 2008), figs. 6-12. http://www.asianart.com/articles/markel2/index.html#2
