Kutch Peshkabz Dagger

Bhuj, Kutch, India
Gilt copper, velvet on wood, glass, watered steel
45.5 cm long
Stock no.: A5965

Provenance: Private collection;
Sotheby's Arts of the Islamic World, 2003;
Private collection, Copenghagen;
On loan to National Gallery of Victoria, 1978-1994;
Sotheby's, Islamic Works of Art, 1997.

+44 (0)20 4572 6886

A peshkabz dagger from Bhuj, Kutch (now Kachchh) with a single-edged watered-steel blade. The grip is formed from green glass, as it typical of daggers from Bhuj. In the right light, floral patterns can be seen through the glass. A similar peshkabzwith a green glass grip is in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London (Accession no. 3389&A/(IS)), dated to the 19th century.

Gilt-copper panels are applied at locket and chape of the sheath, which is wooden and covered with red velvet. Though the floral decoration is less high relief than is typical for Bhuj, it still bears the characteristic combination of repoussé and stippled background. The edges of the scabbard are decorated with chevron patterns. The end of the scabbard thins and curves around 180 degrees, terminating in a knop.

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