Katar (punch dagger) for a child
Culture
Rajasthani
, Western Indian
Date1700s
Mediumsteel, iron, gold and brass
Dimensions6 × 25 cm (2 3/8 × 9 13/16 in.), 6 oz (weight)
ClassificationsArms and Armor
Credit LineThe John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection
Object number2014.482.1
DescriptionSmall. Double-edge steel blade with 2 converging fullers on both faces, and incisions probably once for inlaid decoration. Iron "H"-shaped hilt with 2 bulging octagonal section cross bars. Rectangular sectioned sides. Traces of raised floral gold koft-gari, whose delicate execution suggests a relatively early date.Label TextAround the world, the children of aristrocrats were expected to follow in their parents' footsteps from a very early age. This boy's jamadhar was a mark of his masculinity and noble status, and a reminder of his future role in South Asia's warrior aristocracy.ProvenanceFormerly from the Merzbacher Collection, Munich Acquired in 1924 by Ernst Schmidt, Munich Acquired by the John Woodman Higgins Armory, Inc. from E. Schmidt, June 5, 1930 Collection transfer from Higgins Armory, January 2014 to the Worcester Art Museum.
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