Master Art

The light green jade dagger handle has been carved in a well-proportioned and elegant form. The jade handle comprises of two pieces and is carved and decorated with raised flowers and foliage. On one side of the jade handle, there is an attached old label: ‘Fenton & Sons, 11, New Oxford St, London’. In the inner grip, there are three subtle indentations accommodated for the grip. The auction house and dealership, Fenton & Sons, was active in England from 1894 until 1927. The British Museum acquired various pieces from Fenton & Sons during this period. A similar Mughal jade dagger handle, 13.1cm in height is illustrated in Teng Shu-p’ing, Exquisite Beauty: Islamic Jades, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2012, p. 118, pl. 141. A slightly smaller example, 12.2cm long, is in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Accession Number 1982.321.


Stock no.: A4378