Ceremonial knife with a decorated iron blade and brass handle. On the blade is silver overlaid decoration in two rows of vegetal scroll designs. The handle is of cast brass decorated with engraved vegetal scroll decoration against a dotted background. Bud-shaped finial. An elephant head where the blade meets the handle. Projecting cast figures on the handle close to the blade depict a lion standing off against a man mounted on a horse and holding a spear .
This object could be from Kutch. The figures mounted on the shaft are unusual. The blade is decorated with overlaid silver hammered onto a hatched ground. The decoration of ‘plumy’ leaves and flowers with a cross hatched centre is also indicative of Kutch. The decoration indicates manufacture in the first half of the nineteenth century. There could well be a stiletto mounted in the shaft, but the pommel is too corroded to remove without risk of damaging the object. The shaft is of brass and the blade is of normal, not watered steel.
fighting
