A Mughal rock crystal-hilted steel dagger (khanjar)
India, 18th Century
the double-edged steel blade of curved form with two fullers, terminating in an armour piercing tip, the rock crystal hilt of pistol-grip form with curved quillons, carved and decorated with floral and foliate motifs
38.5 cm. long
Footnotes:
Provenance
The Mohammed Khalil Collection.

Published
M. K. Ibrahim, Islamic Arms and Armour, Vol. II, United Arab Emirates, 2022, p. 681, cat. no. 496.

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). The present lot is a fine example of this dagger type, the hilt carved and decorated in a floral and foliate design that exemplifies the Mughal preoccupation with nature and natural forms. A comparable rock-crystal example is in The Al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait (Inv. No. LNS 77 HS).
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