Dagger (Kard) and Scabbard (Primary Title)
Unknown (Artist)
This kard—a straight, single-edged dagger—features an elephant-headed pommel. While weapons with horse, antelope, and lion heads were popular at the Mughal court, few examples with elephant heads are known. Perhaps a noble at one of Rajasthan’s semi-independent Rajput courts requested the use of this particularly Indian animal. A beautiful showpiece, its handle and scabbard feature coordinated designs of a lotus pond on one side and assorted flowers on the other. A gilded parrot whimsically decorates the scabbard’s tip.
Adolph D. and Wilkins C. Williams Fund
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC
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