Inventory

DIMPLED KATAR

Full Description:

This katar (push dagger unique to the Indian continent) originates from Rajasthan and shows distinguishing features that make it a piece of exceptional quality and craftsmanship from the Kishangarh armoury.

The highly polished steel hilt with double-grip is ornamented throughout. Its thick sidebars and handgrips are decorated with a texturized, hammered pattern of shallow dimples (typical of the Kishangarh armoury), which still have traces of gold. The symmetrical V-shaped knuckle-bar is cleverly cut to mirror the form of the blade, the composition culminating at its centre in a sloping triangular arch and the short fuller split by a raised medial ridge with a stylized flower in bloom. Its simple but careful lines are carved in deep relief directly out of the short blade’s surface. The high-quality steel blade shows small traces of patination and is formed with a central fuller and swollen tip. The distinctive etched armoury mark, visible on the forte, is typical of the Kishangarh armoury[1]. The Devanagari letters translate as ‘ra ki po’ and it is not currently known what the marking means.  The scabbard comprises a wooden core and bi-coloured (gold and blood-red) velvet sheath, sewn with a delicate string of saffron-coloured thread.

Provenance

American art market

Kishangarh armoury, Rajasthan