View full screen - View 1 of Lot 165. A fine 'lunette'-pommel dagger, India, eastern Deccan, 18th century.

A fine 'lunette'-pommel dagger, India, eastern Deccan, 18th century

Estimate

4,000 - 6,000 GBP

Lot Details

Description

the curved double-edged watered-steel blade with central ridge and chiselled with elephants flanking the forte, curved steel knuckle guard terminating in a bud, ivory hilt in four parts secured with silver-gilt rosette pins terminating in a lunette pommel, the green shagreen-covered wooden scabbard with pierced silver-gilt mounts

36cm.

This lot contains elephant ivory, which is an endangered species. Sotheby’s recommends that buyers check with their own government regarding any importation requirements prior to placing a bid, as lots containing endangered species may be subject to import restrictions in certain countries or necessitate licenses and certificates for export from some and import into others. The possession of an export license or certificate does not guarantee obtaining its counterpart elsewhere. Buyers must ascertain and adhere to all applicable regulatory requirements regarding the import and export of such items before bidding, securing all necessary licenses and certificates at their expense. The inability to export or import these items, or their seizure by a government agency, does not justify delaying payment or cancelling a sale.

Philippe Missillier Collection no.162C

A dagger with a comparable hilt is now in the Wallace Collection, London (inv. no.OA1515), and another is now in the Royal Danish Kunstkammer (inv. no.Ead.11). Robert Elgood identified the latter in a 1775 inventory, and the dagger may have entered the collection as early as 1743 (Robert Elgood, Hindu Arms and Ritual: Arms and Armour from India 1400–1865, Delft, Eburon Academic Publishers, 2004, p.179).