Dagger hilt, scroll-like pommel, floral motifs, hexagonal concave facets, rock crystal, Mughal, probably c. 1630-50

A dagger hilt fashioned in colourless rock crystal, with a pistol grip and a scroll-like pommel decorated with flowers and foliage in relief. The shaft is covered with small, hexagonal, concave facets and the quillons have been carved as two small scrolls with additional leaf motifs. There is a short drill hole in the blade end for attachment of the blade.

Wells Bequest

This dagger hilt was made within the Mughal empire and was acquired by Arthur Wells who was a Nottingham solicitor and Clerk of the Peace. He was a keen traveller and was made a Fellow of the Geographical Society. He is considered to be the first private British collector of Chinese jade and his collection of jade and other hardstone objects from South Asia was on exhibition at the South Kensington Museum at the time of his death in 1882. This collection was left to the museum in his will - the Wells Bequest.

This dagger hilt was made within the Mughal empire, probably in the reign of Shah Jahan (r. 1628-1658). The colourless clarity of the rock crystal would have enhanced the appearance of the dagger, while the weight of the hilt would have helped to counter-balance the steel blade. A major disadvantage would have been that sharp impacts to the hilt could have resulted in severe damage to it, possible sufficient to render the dagger unusable without a replacement hilt.

1669-1882