678 - Dagger with Pale Stone Hilt and Floral Rosettes, Blade with Predator Scene

Dagger with Pale Stone Hilt and Floral Rosettes, Blade with Predator Scene Steel, pale stone, metal, coloured stones. Dagger with a straight blade tapering symmetrically to the point, fullered on both sides. At the forte on both sides a cartouche with a darkened ground, framed by a line of gold koftgari (gold damascening): on one side a predator above its prey, set within dense flowers and scrolling tendrils, on the other side a band of tendrils only. The hilt of pale stone with brown layers, thickening towards the pommel and ending in a rounded form, set with rosettes in gold-coloured mounts, the petals of red and the centre of green stone. Good condition commensurate with age, the blade with traces of corrosion and stains. Blade length 37 cm, overall length 51 cm Daggers from the Indo-Persian region often bear a separately worked decorative zone at the forte: the ground is blackened, while the flowers and animals stand out light and in relief. The hunting scene with a predator above its prey is one of the established motifs of this workshop tradition and goes back to Mughal models. Hilts of pale, carved hardstone were as widespread there as settings of coloured stones in gold mounts.