Dagger (Khanjar)

The sheep's head pommel of this dagger is extremely distinctive and rare. The great majority of Indian and Persian khanjar daggers have smooth hilts and rounded pommels. While there are also many examples with zoomorphic pommels, the majority take the form of a horse's head, or, occasionally, a lion's head. In addition, the animal elements of most zoomorphic khanjar hilts are rendered in a very refined, delicate, and stylized manner. In contrast to this, the carving of the sheep's head on this dagger is done in a very lively, naturalistic, and animated style, giving the hilt an immediate visual appeal as a piece of sculpture. The hilt is marble, which is also unusual, most khanjar daggers having jade hilts. The blade is gently recurved, with a raised medial ridge and a thickened tip that is a flattened lozenge in cross-section.