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A gem-set gilt-silver hilted steel dagger (khanjar) India, 19th/ 20th Century image 1
A gem-set gilt-silver hilted steel dagger (khanjar) India, 19th/ 20th Century image 2
A gem-set gilt-silver hilted steel dagger (khanjar) India, 19th/ 20th Century image 3
A gem-set gilt-silver hilted steel dagger (khanjar) India, 19th/ 20th Century image 4
Property from the Mohammed Khalil Collection
Lot 143A*

A gem-set gilt-silver hilted steel dagger (khanjar)
India, 19th/ 20th Century

12 November 2024, 11:00 GMT
London, New Bond Street

Sold for £19,200 inc. premium

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A gem-set gilt-silver hilted steel dagger (khanjar)
India, 19th/ 20th Century

the double-edged steel blade of slightly curved form with armour piercing tip, the silver-gilt hilt of pistol-grip form profusely inlaid with gemstones including emeralds and rubies, the pommel with floral motifs, traces of enamel, the wood scabbard clad in red velvet with silver-gilt mounts decorated ensuite with gemstones including emeralds, rubies and diamonds
38.3 cm. long

Footnotes

Provenance
The Mohammed Khalil Collection.

Published
M. K. Ibrahim, Islamic Arms and Armour, Vol. II, United Arab Emirates, 2022, p. 670, cat. no. 485.

This form of dagger appears to have become popular at the start of the 18th Century, having first emerged in India circa 1650. The type is depicted in miniatures from the period, such as an example from the mid-18th Century sold in these rooms depicting the Emperor Muhammad Shah receiving four courtiers, in which the figure on the far right bears a gem-set khanjar within his patka (see Bonhams, Islamic and Indian Art, 5 April 2011, lot 243).

Additional information