658. Ottoman Turkish Knife or Kard with Jade & Silver

Ottoman Jade-Hilted Dagger (Kard)

This kard has a pommel made from a single piece of pale green jade set with a red stone. The blade is of Damascus or watered steel. The forte on either side is decorated with a panel of floral motif in gold damascene. The scabbard is finely and elaborately worked in filigree and applied silver ,and set with coral and turquoise cabochons. A notable feature of the scabbard is a band of basket weave work in silver, close to the pommel. Not only a weapon of high quality, but an example of superior Ottoman silversmithing. (See the pictures below for more detail of the scabbard.) The band of woven silverwork at the top of the scabbard is almost identical to work on the handle of a calligrapher’s knife illustrated in McWilliams M. & D. Roxburgh, Traces of the Calligrapher: Islamic Calligraphy in Practice c. 1600-1900, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 2007. p. 23, and attributed to Istanbul, 1700s or 1800s.Illustrated

This actual kard is illustrated in Nuzhat Kazmi, Islamic Art: The Past and Modern, Roli Books, 2009, page 26.