SOUTH ASIAN ARMS & ARMOUR

PIHA KAETTA DAGGER WITH SILVER MOUNTS

SRI LANKA c. 1700-1800

A fine-quality silver-mounted Piha kaetta dagger. The handle is finely engraved in dark-coloured horn enriched with silver. The single-edged blade is decorated with finely chiseled silver mount reaching over the first part of the blade. The fuller and the lower part of the blade are deeply covered-over damascened with floral patterned silver. The last part of the blade is inlayed in gold. The wooden scabbard is silver-covered.

This seems to be in the quality of the royal workshops in Sri Lanka and was probably an important gift rather than a utility piha kaetta one can see rather often on the market.

Condition: The grip seems to be missing two small decorated silver washers in the middle (there is a rivet hole on each grip half). The grip has bent over the time. There are gaps between gripscales and tang visible on both sides. Some wear on the scabbard silver foil.