A dagger hilt [qabza] with a carved horse's head, pale greenish grey nephrite jade stones, inset ruby eyes and other stones, Mughal, India, 17th to 18th century

A dagger hilt fashioned in pale greenish grey nephrite jade and polished all over. The scroll-shaped quillons have been carved in low relief on either side as two overlapping rows of leaves together with an eight petalled flower that has a colourless cabochon inset into its centre. The now-heavily fractured cabochons have been set into reflective (silver), closed-back, gilt settings. The underside of the hilt has been carved with three cavities that once held inset stones but all three are now empty except for remnants of gold and the black, shellac-based filler.
There is a groove carved into the blade end, which extends along most of the length of the quillons and there is also a hole drilled part way down the length of the handle but which has become plugged with glue or filler.
On the upper edge of the hilt, adjacent to the quillons, there is a further inset, round colourless cabochon in a reflective, closed-back setting that was once coloured red. This stone has been fractured and the colouring has deteriorated. Further along the top edge is another, now-fractured colourless cabochon in a reflective, closed-back setting.
The pommel has been skillfully carved as a horse's head, with finely carved detail including its pulled-back ears, a fine mane swept back along the right side of its neck and its open mouth that shows detail of its tongue and teeth. On its head, between the ears, there is a further inset colourless stone in a once red coloured reflective setting. This cabochon is undamaged but the colouring has deteriorated and faded. From under this cabochon, further finely carved detail portrays its forelocks flowing down between its eyes and in front of both ears. Each eye has been set with a small ruby cabochon in reflective, closed settings.

Presented by Colonel F. R. Waldo-Sibthorp, 41 Stillwood Road, Brighton

This dagger hilt was given to The South Kensington Museum (later renamed The Victoria & Albert Museum) by Colonel F. R. Waldo-Sibthorp in 1902.

This well-observed and expertly fashioned dagger hilt was made within the Mughal empire, probably in the 18th century. While the nephrite jade would have enhanced the appearance of the dagger, its weight would also have helped to counter-balance the steel blade. Even though nephrite is a hard and durable material, one major disadvantage is that it could be liable to damage from sharp impacts, possibly sufficient to render the dagger unusable without a replacement hilt. It would have been made for a wealthy or important patron.

IS.3-1902