Steel; white jade inlaid with gold, rubies and emeralds, and velvet with gilt metal
Dimensions:
W (overall): 36 cm (14 3/16 in)
Type:
Weapon and Armament
Origin:
India
Date:
18th century
Period:
Mughal dynasty
School/Tradition:
Mughal school
Description:
The dagger has a beautifully water steel blade with a gold palmette. Its hilt is made of white jade, deeply carved and inlaid with gold and set with rubies and emeralds. The gems create trefoil blossoms with ruby petals and emerald cores.
The scabbard is covered with green velvet, now faded, and decorated with a gilt band that encircles the upper edge and runs vertically on the front. The chape and the locket are in white jade, embellished in the same manner as the hilt. The tip of the scabbard is damaged and several of the gold inlays and gems have been lost.
Provenance:
?-1984
Dr. Stephen R. Turner, through Mrs. Milton (Lillian) Turner (1917-2009), method of acquisition unknown [1]
From 1984
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Dr. Stephen R. Turner [2]
Notes:
[1] See letter from Thomas Lawton, Director, to Mrs. Milton (Lillian) Turner, dated July 20, 1983, copy in object file. The letter identifies Dr. Stephen R. Turner as the son of Mrs. Turner. The object was in the temporary custody of Mrs. Turner in Kenwood, Maryland prior to acquisition.
Dr. Stephen R. Lawton is a medical doctor in Winston-Salem, NC and a collector of prints and Asian art.
His parents, Mr. Milton Turner (1916-1981) and Mrs. Lillian Turner (1917-2009), were donors and benefactors of the Smithsonian Institution and resided in Washington, DC and Maryland.
[2] See “Deed of Gift to the Freer Gallery of Art of the Smithsonian Institution,” dated December 30, 1983, copy in object file.
Research updated March 14, 2023
Collection:
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Exhibition History:
Body Image (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)
Arts of the Indian Subcontinent and the Himalayas (October 16, 2004 to January 3, 2016)
Islamic Metalwork in the Freer Gallery of Art (September 27, 1985 to November 17, 1986)
The Arts of South Asia (May 13, 1985 to December 2, 1985)
