Western Asia, Persia (Iran), ca. late 18th to early 19th century CE. An elegant weapon, this is a steel katar (also katara or bundi dagger), with an H-shaped horizontal hand grip and a long, pointed, triangular blade that sits below the user's knuckles. A pronounced groove is in the center of the blade, which has the handle cast onto it. A fleur-de-lis extends downward from the guard onto the blade, bolstered by three iron rivets. The handle itself has niello (a mixture of copper, silver, and lead sulphates with a black color, often inlayed or engraved onto etched metal) floral and leaf motifs covering its entire surface. These types of daggers are unique to the Indo-Persian world, and ceremonial examples are used in worship. A katar was also a deadly weapon in hand-to-hand combat, when it could be punched with the full body weight behind it rather than thrusting as one does with a sword or staff. Size: 2.95" W x 19.3" H (7.5 cm x 49 cm); 6.95" H (17.7 cm) on included custom stand.

Provenance: private Orange County, California, USA collection

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#127617

Patina on surface. Excellent preserved niello.