Lot 156
- 156
A MUGHAL JADE-HILTED DAGGER WITH OTTOMAN GEM-SET DECORATION, INDIA AND TURKEY, 17TH-18TH CENTURY |
Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 GBP
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Description
- 51.3cm. max.
the double-sided curved watered-steel blade with central ridge and forte with gold-overlaid arabesques and inscription, jade hilt with pistol grip decorated with gem-set, foil-backed floral stems, the textile-covered wooden scabbard with en-suite design
Provenance
Ex-collection Max Dreger, Berlin, before 1925.
Sammlung Max Dreger / Berlin, Rudolph Lepke's Kunst-Auctions-Haus, Berlin, 8 December 1925, lot 82.
Ex-Collection Brøns Hansen, Copenhagen, 1980s.
Sammlung Max Dreger / Berlin, Rudolph Lepke's Kunst-Auctions-Haus, Berlin, 8 December 1925, lot 82.
Ex-Collection Brøns Hansen, Copenhagen, 1980s.
Literature
Griffwaffen aus der Sammlung Max Dreger / Berlin: Europa und Orient, Rudolph Lepke's Kunst-Auctions-Haus, Berlin, Katalog 1947, 8 Dezember 1925.
Islamic Arms and Armour from Private Danish Collections, Copenhagen, 1982, pp.144-5, no.102.
Vaaben-historiske aarbøger, XXXV, Copenhagen, 1989, p.83, fig.74a.
Islamic Arms and Armour from Private Danish Collections, Copenhagen, 1982, pp.144-5, no.102.
Vaaben-historiske aarbøger, XXXV, Copenhagen, 1989, p.83, fig.74a.
Condition
This item is in good condition. Very minor losses to the inlaid gold and silver. Minor loss to a small gem on the edge of the pommel, minor losses to the scabbard throughout. Minor rub marks on the damascene decoration, the gem-set jade mounts on the scabbard probably later additions. as viewed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
inscriptions
'O Ali'
'O Opener [of the gates of sustenance]'
A comparable dagger was first recorded in the collection of the Türckische Cammer ('Turkish Chamber') of the Electors of Saxony in Dresden in 1838 (inv. no.Y143). The Russian army seized numerous daggers of this sort in 1828 when they plundered the Ottomans during the occupation of Varna in the Greek War of Independence (1827-29). Prince Carl of Prussia came to be the owner of the Dresden dagger after he received it from his brother-in-law, Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, and later traded it with the Dresden Rüstkammer for another object (H. Schuckelt, The Turkish Chamber: Oriental Splendour in the Dresden Armoury, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, 2010, pp.124-5). Weapons such as the present example became greatly appreciated as foreign courtly objects, perhaps owing to a lasting struggle for supremacy between the East and West, in which arms and armour played a key role (Grancsay 1958, p.256). However, they also had significance as gifts in order to establish diplomatic relationships between rulers (ibid, p.241).
'O Ali'
'O Opener [of the gates of sustenance]'
A comparable dagger was first recorded in the collection of the Türckische Cammer ('Turkish Chamber') of the Electors of Saxony in Dresden in 1838 (inv. no.Y143). The Russian army seized numerous daggers of this sort in 1828 when they plundered the Ottomans during the occupation of Varna in the Greek War of Independence (1827-29). Prince Carl of Prussia came to be the owner of the Dresden dagger after he received it from his brother-in-law, Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, and later traded it with the Dresden Rüstkammer for another object (H. Schuckelt, The Turkish Chamber: Oriental Splendour in the Dresden Armoury, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, 2010, pp.124-5). Weapons such as the present example became greatly appreciated as foreign courtly objects, perhaps owing to a lasting struggle for supremacy between the East and West, in which arms and armour played a key role (Grancsay 1958, p.256). However, they also had significance as gifts in order to establish diplomatic relationships between rulers (ibid, p.241).