2009.15.1 Qatar (dagger)

The qatar, a two-handled dagger used for stabbing with force, is often illustrated in Indian miniature paintings as part of the typical attire of warriors and rulers. This example is especially elegant, enriched by the image of elephants in combat on the blade. The blade is reinforced with a strong inset. The techniques of gilding, inlaying, and chasing metal reached a high point during the Mughal period, when such implements were as much signs of status as actual weapons.

Anne Bromberg, "Qatar (dagger)" in The Arts of India, South East Asia, and the Himalayas (Dallas: Dallas Museum of Art; New Haven: Yale University Press, 2013), 147.

Deccan (plateau): AAT: 7551828

India (nation): TGN: 7000198

engraving (action): AAT: 300053829

steel (alloy): AAT: 300133751

inlays (decorations): AAT: 300256033

gilding (material): AAT: 300379350

seventeenth century (dates CE): AAT: 300404511

elephant (animals/elephantidae family): AAT: 300250160

daggers (weapons): AAT: 300037058

combat: AAT: 300379752

2009: Dallas Museum of Art gift of David T. Owsley via the Alconda-Owsley Foundation 

The main source for this provenance is the Deed of Gift. (Copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records Object File.) 

Apply to objects where number equals 2009.15.1