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56
GEMSET JADE HILT
Designed as a hilt inlaid with gemstones in gold and
kundan
‒work in floral motifs.
Gross weight: 400.85 grams
$ 7,860 ‒ 10,715
Rs 5,50,000 ‒ 7,50,000
57
GEMSET JADE PLAQUE
A circular jade plaque inlaid with gemstones in gold
kundan
‒work in floral motifs. The reverse is inscribed
in Arabic with the
Kalima Shahadah
or the second
Kalima
in Islam.
Gross weight: 24.61 grams
$ 5,000 ‒ 6,430
Rs 3,50,000 ‒ 4,50,000
I
n the Mughal period, daggers with decorated hilts and scabbards were often given as royal
gifts and tokens of honour, and were considered a form of ornamentation. The hilt could
be shaped in the form of a pistol grip or even an animal head. In the present lot, a hilt made
of jade is inlaid with floral
kundan
patterns. This is an especially skilled technique, as tough
stones like jade need to have channels drilled into which the gold can flow, and for the
gemstones to be placed and secured.
Dagger and Sheath, India, Mughal empire, circa 1675-1700
Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Public domain)