A rare South Indian steel dagger
probably Deccan, 15th/ 16th Century
the double-edged steel blade of slightly curved form with raised spine and two fullers, widening to a large circular section at the forte with hole to one side, the hilt with swollen bud quillons, raised band to grip, the pommel in the form of three swollen buds, the central bud applied
38.8 cm. long
Footnotes:
The hilt of the present lot is of a form widely used in the 15th Century, as can be seen in contemporary manuscripts of the Laur-Chanda. The three buds on the pommel can be seen to represent Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, whilst the large disc-shaped section at the forte alludes to the sun or wheel of time (kalachakra). For the kings of the Vijayanagara Empire in South India (circa 1336-1646), this chakra was a powerful symbol of the right to rule. For further examples of the type see Robert Hales, Islamic and Oriental Arms and Armour, Farnham, 2013, p. 71, nos. 154-5.