A QAJAR BONE-HILTED KARD DAGGER
Iran, 19th century

With a sharp single-edged watered steel blade, the forte inlaid in gold on both sides with birds and a rosette against a ground of scrolling vegetal sprays, the tapering near-rectangular hilt made of two slabs of carved bone with a silver-inlaid medial tang with animals and foliate scroll, the bone plaques decorated with a pair of lobed cartouches in-filled with two crowned rulers on one side and two Sufi dervishes, one with a kashkul (begging bowl), on the opposite side, 33cm long.