Lot 254. A Mughal jade-hilted dagger (khanjar) with scabbard, India, 18th century. Estimate 12,000 — 18,000 GBP. Photo Sotheby's.
the jade hilt carved with five large mulberries at pommel, the external one with a diamond set in gold, carved throughout with floral palmettes, the knuckle-guard designed as a stem terminating in a lotus bud, double-edged watered-steel blade with central ridge and medallion with gold decoration and inscription, velvet-covered wood scabbard with matching jade mounts. Quantity: 2; 43cm.
Literature: R. Hales, Islamic and Oriental Arms and Armour: A Lifetime's Passion, London, 2013, p.49, no.106.
inscriptions: Undeciphered (possibly names)
A similar example, also with its surviving knuckle-guard (a rarity), is in the Al-Thani collection, London (Jaffer 2013, pp.186-7, no.52).
Sotheby's. Arts of the Islamic World, London, 19 Oct 2016, 11:30 AM