Dagger Blade, Etched with Arabesques and Arabic
17th century
Description
This dagger blade is etched with an intricate vegetal scroll motif and inscribed in Arabic with a verse from the Qur'an: “And what is my prosperity save through God?” (Qur'an 11:88). Furthermore, a name or a nisba appears close to the handle “Shah Wilayat the slave (follower) of Husayn Sultan” (bandah shah wilayat Husayn sultan), and may be linked to the Safavid ruler Shah Sultan-Husayn (r. 1694-1722). Similar inscriptions appear on earlier Safavid seals (see Encyclopedia of Islam “khatam”).
Dimensions
25.5 cm (10 1/16 in.)
Provenance
Stuart Cary Welch, Jr., Warner, New Hampshire (by 1999-2008), by inheritance; to Edith I. Welch, Warner, New Hampshire (2008-2011), gift; to Harvard Art Museums 2011.
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