A MUGHAL-REVIVAL ROCK CRYSTAL-HILTED DAGGER (KHANJAR)
Northern India, first half 20th century

With a sharp double-edged wavy and scalloped wootz steel blade, and a gently pronounced medial ridge, the pointy tip split reminiscing Imam Ali's scissor-like Zulfiqar sword, on both sides of the forte cusped cartouches filled with gold-damascened vegetal bloom and the Shi'a invocation in Arabic characters 'Ya Ali', the rock crystal hilt carved in the shape of a horse head engraved with blossoming iris flowers with foliage, the wooden sheath lined in embroidered light blue silk with pink and light green floral motifs, 43cm long including the sheath.