Object Description
18th / 19th century Indian Mughal dagger with dark green jade pistol hilt inlaid with gold inlay. With a fine slightly curved blade and raised central ridge, armour piercing tip and chased arabesques.
Another dagger in the Metropolitan Museum of Art with similar gold work is attributed to the court workshop of the Nawab of Oudh in Lucknow.
Dark green jades were highly prized for their strong contrast to inset gold kundan and jewels, Two closely comparable examples are in the Furusiyya Art Foundation Collection, also notable for their use of a very dark jade against which the gold and gemstones stand out brightly. The particular style of the inlaid gold leafy tendrils can be compared to a further jade dagger in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.