An enameled and silver-mounted katar dagger

Museum: Feldman Family Museum

The straight, double-edged blade is made of watered steel with a reinforced tip and two pairs of converging fullers on each side. The silver-gilt hilt is decorated with transparent green enamel and set with gems in the kundan technique. The transverse grip is formed by two bars. The wooden scabbard covered with yellow-brown and partly olive-green velvet. The silver-gilt scabbard chape is decorated en suite with the hilt. Total 179 rubies and 37 white sapphires.

COMMENT. Katar is a traditional Indian thrusting dagger with a transverse grip between two parallel side bars serving as a hand-guard. The alternative name for this dagger is jamdhar (from Jama / Yama, the name of the Hindu god of death; Sanskrit dhārā, "sharp-edged"). The katar blades vary in shape and length depending on the specific purpose of the weapon. The "classical" katar has a relatively short, broad, straight, double-edged blade with one, two or more fullers on each side. It was fre-quently forged with a reinforced tip to pierce mail armour. The presented example belongs to a small group of enameled dress katars. Two similar daggers published in catalogs published in Hales, R. Islamic and Oriental Arms and Armour: A Lifetime’s Passion. – London, 2013. – P. 373, no. 930 and Ricketts, H., Missillier, P. Splendour des Armes Orientales: 4 Maj – 31 Juillet 1988: [Exposition Catalogue]. – Paris, 1988. – P. 135, no. 225. Another one gem-set example decorated with red enamel is in the Wallace Collection in London (inv. no. OA1389).

LITERATURA: 1) Сіваченко Є. Холодна зброя Індії XVII-XIX століть із збірки Музею приватних колекцій Олександра Фельдмана: [каталог виставки]. – Харків, 2011. – С. 2; 2) Сиваченко Е. Сталь и Золото: Восточное оружие из собрания Feldman Family Museum = Steel and Gold: Eastern Weapons from the Feldman Family Museum Collection. – Киев, 2019. – С. 408-409, №158.