Dagger and scabbard, Persian and Turkish

Dagger and Scabbard (khanjar). The blade is straight and double edged, fretted with two slots at either side of a medial serpent, and around a lotus bud. The blade is set with four emeralds and five rubies at either side of the forte, and decorated overall with floral panels and inscriptions in thick gold koftgari. The blade bears the date 'sanat 1121'. The hilt comprises a bulbous grip in shagreen, with a medallion of small diamonds in a gilt setting at the centre reading ‘Sultan Sa’id’. The guard has small forward curved quillons set with various stones and gilded, and a pommel beaked at either side, enamelled in blue, red, pink and yellow in a white ground. The scabbard is of wood covered with shagreen, with large top locket and chape decorated in the same enamel, the chape with a large finial gilt with dark blue and turquoise enamel. Length (whole) 410 mm, width (blade) 270 mm, scabbard 310 mm, weight 280g. Blade 18th Century (1709-10), Turkish hilt & scabbard 19th Century. Turkish, Persian.

Image data

• Accession Number: O.3-1973
• Photograph copyright © The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.
• Aperture: f/19.0
• Focal length: 80
• Camera: Hasselblad H3D II-31
• Photographer name: Michael Jones
• Image height: 1024 pixels
• Image width: 597 pixels
• Processed with: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.4 (Windows)
• Filesize: 293.14kB
• Exposure time: 1/125
• ISO Speed: 100
• Fnumber: 19/1
• Captured: 2009:06:02 13:18:45

Key words