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Dagger: O.148-1879

Object information

Current Location: In storage

Maker(s)

Maker: Unknown

Entities

Categories

Description

Hilt and blade are made in one piece of steel. The blade is double edged and double curved, with a chevron of six deep fullers down most of its length and slightly reinforced point. At the forte the blade widens into bud-like wings with piercings at either side. The hilt is waisted, with a central squashed globular knop with double mouldings at either side, and has symmetrical curved winged guard and pommel, The flange between the wings of the pommel was extended into a finial now broken off. The blade is polished bright with pitting from its earlier corrosion. There are traces of incised decoration on the forte. There is a trace of copper on the pommel, and where the finial is broken off a crystalline structure suggesting the dagger was cast.

Notes

History note: From Ganjam. Probably from Tanjore arsenal

Legal notes

Given by Robert Taylor, MA

Measurements and weight

Blade Length: 29.7 cm
Overall Length: 37 cm
Weight: 242 g

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Given (1879) by Taylor, Robert, MA

Dating

16th Century, Late
Circa 1560 CE - 1600 CE

Note

Compare Metropolitan Museum of Art New York no 36.25.751 from the Stone, Oldman and Walhouse collections, the lavishly decorated 36.25.6AB in the same collection and one from a private collection (Elgood 2004: 178–80, figs 16.32, 16.36 and 16.38). Also compare O.151-1879 from this group, of the same form.

Materials used in production

Steel

Inscription or legends present

  • Text: 148
  • Method of creation: Inscribed
  • Type: Tag

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: O.148-1879
Primary reference Number: 159914
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Tuesday 25 February 2020 Last processed: Friday 8 December 2023

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Dagger" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/159914 Accessed: 2024-12-22 06:54:25

Citation for Wikipedia

To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:

{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/159914 |title=Dagger |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-12-22 06:54:25|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

API call for this record

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https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-159914

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