Exceptional Ottoman Dagger (Hançer)
Ottoman Turkey, Late 17th century
Steel, wood, silver gilt, niello, turquoise, carnelian
33 cm long
33 cm long
A5687
Further images
Provenance: From the Jagdkammer (hunting lodge) of Count Ernst Franz Karl Rudolf von Kaunitz-Rietberg.
Sold in May 1936 in Zurich by Galerie Fischer, in its Jagdkammer des Reichsgraffen R. v. Kaunitz II. Teil, in Zurich. Lot 195.
Swedish private collection.
English private collection.
This is one of a series of daggers taken as booty at the Battle of Vienna in 1683, sometimes referred to as Türkenbeute (Turkish loot). Its owner was a member of the illustrious Kaunitz-Rietberg family, who were advisors and friends to the Habsburg family throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. As such, they had the ear of European monarchs, making them one of the most important families in Austro-Hungary.