Jade Dagger Hilt
Mughal India, early 18th century
Jade
12.5 cm high, 7.5 cm wide
12.5 cm high, 7.5 cm wide
A4378
Further images
Provenance: Fenton & Sons New Oxford Street (according to historic label), which was at that location from 1880 to ca. 1920.
A pale green jade pistol grip hilt from a Mughal khanjar, decorated with raised flowers and foliage. Alongside gemstones and jewellery, jade-hilted weapons are the most frequently mentioned presentation gift to or from Mughal emperors.[1] Stuart Cary Welch’s study of the Padshah-nama reveals that the most common form of dagger worn was the katar, with the khanjar in second place. Jade was particularly highly prized in Mughal India, in part because it was imported from Central Asia and was therefore a reminder of their Timurid ancestry, and in part because it required so much time and skill to abrade and polish it.[2]
A similar Mughal jade dagger handle, 13.1 cm in height is illustrated in Teng Shu-p’ing, Exquisite Beauty: Islamic Jades, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2012, p. 118, pl. 141. Another similar hilt, dated to the late 17th century, is in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London (accession no. 721&A-1889).
On one side of the jade handle, there is an attached old label: ‘Fenton & Sons, 11, New Oxford St, London’. In the inner grip, there are three subtle indentations accommodated for the grip. The auction house and dealership, Fenton & Sons, was active in England from 1894 until 1927. The British Museum acquired various pieces from Fenton & Sons during this period.
[1] Markel, Stephen. ‘Inception and Maturation in Mughal Jades’ in Markel (ed.) The World of Jade. Mumbai: Marg Publications, 1992. pp. 49–64: p. 51.
[2] Markel, Stephen. ‘Carved Jades of the Mughal Period’, Arts of Asia 17.6 (1987), pp. 123–30; p. 124.
A pale green jade pistol grip hilt from a Mughal khanjar, decorated with raised flowers and foliage. Alongside gemstones and jewellery, jade-hilted weapons are the most frequently mentioned presentation gift to or from Mughal emperors.[1] Stuart Cary Welch’s study of the Padshah-nama reveals that the most common form of dagger worn was the katar, with the khanjar in second place. Jade was particularly highly prized in Mughal India, in part because it was imported from Central Asia and was therefore a reminder of their Timurid ancestry, and in part because it required so much time and skill to abrade and polish it.[2]
A similar Mughal jade dagger handle, 13.1 cm in height is illustrated in Teng Shu-p’ing, Exquisite Beauty: Islamic Jades, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2012, p. 118, pl. 141. Another similar hilt, dated to the late 17th century, is in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London (accession no. 721&A-1889).
On one side of the jade handle, there is an attached old label: ‘Fenton & Sons, 11, New Oxford St, London’. In the inner grip, there are three subtle indentations accommodated for the grip. The auction house and dealership, Fenton & Sons, was active in England from 1894 until 1927. The British Museum acquired various pieces from Fenton & Sons during this period.
[1] Markel, Stephen. ‘Inception and Maturation in Mughal Jades’ in Markel (ed.) The World of Jade. Mumbai: Marg Publications, 1992. pp. 49–64: p. 51.
[2] Markel, Stephen. ‘Carved Jades of the Mughal Period’, Arts of Asia 17.6 (1987), pp. 123–30; p. 124.