Jeweled and Enameled Ram's Head Dagger

Unknown

18th–19th century · Hilt: Gold, enameled and set with precious stones; kundan technique Blade: steel · Islamic Art

Often tucked into a sash or horseman’s boot, daggers in Mughal India displayed the wealth and power of their owners. An intricately patterned ram’s head pommel adorns the hilt of this dagger, made in the kundan technique in which gems are set into malleable pure gold foil, allowing them to be arranged in any pattern or density over curved surfaces. In this dagger, pieces of quartz adorning the cross guard are surrounded by raised borders of gold which form the curved lines of a flower. The ram’s head is decorated with a floral scroll and is separated from the hilt grip by a quartz collar, also in the kundan method.

Artist

Unknown

Date

18th–19th century

Medium

Hilt: Gold, enameled and set with precious stones; kundan technique Blade: steel

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1970