Mop Dagger
Full Description:
This elegant dagger is made in the general style of a pesh kabz and boasts a blade made of wootz steel-the beautiful swirling patterns clearly visible. The flat-sided grip scales are made from mother of pearl, two sections to each side, and secured to the dagger's tang by means of a series of metal pins. They provide a gentle lustrous counterpoint to the dagger's intended martial use.
The handle's top strap has been inlaid with gold and this decoration continues to the flat section of the blade's spine where a Persian inscription can be seen. It reads:
'amal-i isfahani
"Work of Isfahani" (ie made by someone called Isfahani)
A small pendant, it too is inlaid with gold, is attached to the pommel's small ring: these are often lost.
The corresponding wooden scabbard is covered in green velvet and mounted with an ornately finished gilt-copper mouthpiece that retains its suspension ring, and a chape that ends with a finial.
Provenance: from the collection of the late Leo S.Figiel M.D. a renowned collector of Indian Arms and Armour.
Cette élégante dague, réalisée dans le style d’un pesh-kabz, peut se vanter de posséder une lame en acier wootz – ses beaux motifs ondulants étant clairement visibles. Chacune des deux moitiés aplaties de la poignée se composent de deux pièces de nacre, maintenues à la soie de la dague par une série de rivets métalliques. La nacre offre un doux et chatoyant contrepoint au but martial originel de cette dague.
The upper visible part of the silk is encrusted with gold and its decoration continues on the flat of the back of the blade where we can see a Persian inscription which reads:
'amal-i isfahani
"Isfahani's work" (ie done by someone called Isfahani)
A small pendant, also inlaid with gold, is attached to the ring of the pommel: such pendants are rarely preserved.
The corresponding wooden sheath is covered with a green velvet and trimmed with a gold-plated copper panel retaining its suspension ring, as well as a snap ending in a button.
Provenance: from the collection of the late Leo S. Figiel MD, a famous collector of Indian weapons and armor.