Dagger with gold hilt inlaid with enamel and rubies; matching scabbard
Men in Mughal India wore jewelry in profusion: turban ornaments, necklaces, and rings. The same conspicuous magnificence that characterizes much of this jewelry for men was also expressed in the Mughals’ weapons – the types of objects that were men’s most important jewelry-like embellishment in the rest of the Islamic world.
The hilt of this elegant dagger was inlaid with a dense pattern of stylized flowers in green, white, and light-blue enamel. The rudimentary guard and knob are decorated with leaves and a few rubies that make the knob resemble a head. Plant decorations of this kind are found on much Indian decorative art from the 18th century.
The hilt of this elegant dagger was inlaid with a dense pattern of stylized flowers in green, white, and light-blue enamel. The rudimentary guard and knob are decorated with leaves and a few rubies that make the knob resemble a head. Plant decorations of this kind are found on much Indian decorative art from the 18th century.