Not on display

Dagger

Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
Vizianagaram (made)

Dagger bara jamdadu with a thin rapier blade, undulating, the base with pierced decoration and an applied tongue (possibly damascened). The hand guard is small showing the transition between the katar and the gauntlet sword pata. Four knobs fixing the two horizontal bars, protrude on either side.

Object details

Categories
Arms & Armour
India Museum
Object type
Dagger
Materials and techniques
Forged steel, possibly damascened
Brief description
Dagger bara jamdadu metal, damascened, Vizianagaram
Physical description
Dagger bara jamdadu with a thin rapier blade, undulating, the base with pierced decoration and an applied tongue (possibly damascened). The hand guard is small showing the transition between the katar and the gauntlet sword pata. Four knobs fixing the two horizontal bars, protrude on either side.
Gallery label
(pre 1993)
Dagger bara jamdadoo: thin rapier blade, undulating, the base with pierced decoration & applied tongue (?damascened), small hand guard, showing the transition between the kutar, of which the blade is an elongated form, and the gauntlet sword, 4 knobs, fixing the 2 horizontals of the handle protrude on either side; Vizianagram.
3216 I.S.
Credit line
Transferred from the India Museum in 1879
Object history
As originally arranged and displayed in Exhibition Road Indian Museum galleries until 1955, with some additions while in storage, case F.715
Historical context
The bara jamdadu is an elongated form of the katar, the punch dagger peculiar to the Indian subcontinent. It is considered a transitional form between the katar and the pata, or gauntlet sword, whose guard fully encloses the hand and forearm but also has a transverse grip.
Production
Transferred from the India Museum to South Kensington Museum in 1879
Bibliographic references
  • Lord Egerton of Tatton, Indian and Oriental Armour, London, 1896, p. 116, Cat. No. 514
  • Egerton, Wilbraham, An illustrated handbook of Indian arms; being a classified and descriptive catalogue of the arms exhibited at the India museum: with an introductory sketch of the military history of India, London, 1880 p.116
Other number
514 - Egerton Catalogue Number
Collection
South & South East Asia Collection
Accession number
3216(IS)

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Record createdJune 25, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O474630/dagger-unknown/
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