INDIAN JADE-HILTED DAGGER

INDIAN (DECCAN) 17TH CENTURY

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A Mughal period dagger with pale green-greyish jade hilt finely carved in form of an iris flower. The blossom is centered with a spirally fluted green tang button.

The blade with an umbrella marking and the text ‘khanjar I badshah alamgir-shud kalid-i mamalik az taqdir‘ refering to the king Aurangzeb, the ruler of the Mughal dynasties. The inscription seems to be later 19th century embellishment to honour the historical ruler.

A similar dagger is recorded in the Al-Sabah collection, Kuwait. A similar but with a 17th century blade text can be found in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The dagger once belonged to Aurangzeb or his closest family.