An Important Zoomorphic Silver-Gilt Parrot dagger

India, Deccan, Bijapur or Golconda, late 16th century

Silver hilt with iron core and traces of gilding; steel blade

32 x 11 x 4.4 cm

This remarkable late 16th century silver Deccan ceremonial dagger is a masterpiece of the silversmithing arts with its expressive hilt in the shape of a parrot and a secondary avian creature, a mythical yali or vyala (leogryph or sometimes part lion, part elephant, part horse), which was an auspicious symbol in southern Indian temple architecture. The high quality style of carving and opulent details of this dagger reveal that it is a royal object made for courtly or ceremonial use.

This fantastical conceit is testament to the way Deccan artists brilliantly fused nature with fantasy through merging motifs or abstracting shapes, all while maintaining elegant and fluid lines. This phenomenon can be seen in the dagger, where the known gives way to the unreal to produce a sublime sculptural form.

The parrot curves as the head bends towards the much smaller yali. Traces of gilding appear at the beak and lower section of the parrot, whose lustrous silver form is characterized by the most subtle definition of feathers. At the crown of the parrot’s head, an openwork crest sweeps backwards in decorative curls, an imaginary definition of plumage, and down the bird’s back.

The parrot stands on the quillon of the dagger, where a roped border with spherical finials adorns its opposite ends and establishes the perch. From it also emerges the more abstracted and backward bending body of the talismanic yali with its mouth agape as the back of its head is caressed by the beak of the large bird. When observing the dynamic between the two animal forms here, one is reminded of Navina Najat Haidar’s eloquent description of the spirit of Deccani art, whereby the “shifts of scale in Deccan painting – the source of its ethereal strangeness – are among its most fascinating qualities. Why do they occur? Some elements of scale can be understood to be hierarchical” (Sultans of Deccan India 1500-1700: Opulence and Fantasy, p.21).

Below the cross-guard, the silver section of the hilt continues in an elegant flourish and is then attached to the blade with three iron nails. In the subtle definition of this section, we observe the bird’s clasped claws in the interior of the handle. The curvilinear blade has flat sides and a secondary bevel and finishes in a sharp point. On one of its sides, an inscription reads ‘D31’, a collection inventory reference.

Zoomorphic Deccan daggers, often crafted with intricate animal motifs, are considered masterpieces of Indian arms from the Deccan Sultanates (16th-17th centuries). These daggers were not only functional weapons but also carried immense symbolic and artistic value, often showcasing the highest level of craftsmanship in materials like silver, gilded bronze, and adorned with gemstones such as rubies. These collections underline the Deccan Sultanate’s unique artistic vision, blending Indian, Persian, and European influences in a dynamic visual language, particularly through their detailed representation of zoomorphic imagery. Ubiquitous in Indian life and often depicted in Mughal and Deccan paintings, parrots are symbolically important beings as shown by The MET’s 17th-18th Century Finial in the Form of a Parrot. Prevalent particularly in literature for their roles as fortune and storytellers. The Mughal court honoured the parrot symbol for its connotations of paradise and the symbolic ability to blur the boundary between the natural and human dominions. The painting A Parrot Perched on a Mango Tree; a Ram Tethered Below (c. 1630–70) from the Jagdish and Kamla Mittal Museum of Indian Art, Hyderabad, is a perfect example of the pictorial and symbolic importance parrots held in Mughal and Deccan imagery.

In addition to our Zoomorphic dagger, The Furusiyya Art Foundation Collection holds a related 17th century silver Deccani dagger with a silver hilt in the form of a Parrot.

Provenance:

Private collection UK formed between the 1960s-1990s.