Oliver White
Head of Department
Lot 174
A fine Qajar gold damascened steel Dagger Persia, dated AH 1253/ AD 1837-38
8 April 2014, 10:30 BST
London, New Bond StreetSold for £4,375 inc. premium
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A fine Qajar gold damascened steel Dagger
Persia, dated AH 1253/ AD 1837-38
Persia, dated AH 1253/ AD 1837-38
the single-edged tapering watered steel blade chiseled at the forte in relief with a partial lobed cartouche containing inscription interspersed by flowerheads, the cartouche terminating in a partial palmette, the flaring handle decorated in gold inlay with a frieze of suspended palmettes at either end connected by lines chiseled in relief forming panels around the grip, the centre of the hilt with five inscription-filled quatrefoil cartouches, a further inscription-filled cartouche at the base of the spine of the blade
42 cm. long
42 cm. long
Footnotes
Inscriptions: on the blade, a couplet from the Gulistan of Sa'di, the date AH 1253 (AD 1837-38) and invocations to God as ya hannan!, "O The Most Compassionate!", ya mannan!, "O The Propitious!"; on the base of the blade, sa/hibihi/ rajab'ali, "Its owner Rajab'ali"; on the handle, Invocations to God as ya hannan, "O The Most Compassionate!"; ya mannan, "O The Propitious!"; ya shafi, "The Healer!"; ya kafi, "O The Sufficer!"; in the middle cartouche, dast-e rajab'ali va daman-e 'ali, "Hand of Rajab'ali and the skirt of 'Ali", an expression of asking for help.
For a similar dagger with a hollow hilt to store tools, see Robert Hales, Islamic and Oriental Arms and Armour, 2013, p. 77, no. 165.