Indian Knife with Wootz Blade

[templarnight]

Can anyone give me any info on this Knife.
Blade is Wootz and possibly could have a repair in the middle.
Painted Jade? Grip.
38cm long.
Thanks for any help.

[Stan S.]

Very nice dagger most likely from the South of India. The repair you are referring to looks more like a seam between two steel billets connected to make this blade. It could also be a forging flaw but I tend to think it is teh first rather than teh second. The hilt is painted in red and green as far as i can see. Is it white or faint blue underneath the paint? If so, it is not a true jade but rather either a nephrite or aventurine. There wasn't much true (green) jade produced in India but these minerals are closely related and were often used as a substitute and referred to as "jade". Hope this helps.

[templarnight]

Hi. Many thanks for your help and Im pleased to hear your views on the so called 'repair'.
The Stone Handle is White with a very hint of light Green. The Paint is Red, Green and Gold.
What kind of date do you think this is?

[Jens Nordlunde]

Try to take the dagger to a jeweller, as they can measure the hardness of the hilt, maybe he can tell you what it is.

[Stan S.]

Originally Posted by Jens Nordlunde

Try to take the dagger to a jeweller, as they can measure the hardness of the hilt, maybe he can tell you what it is.

Excellent point! A jeweler will be able to tell you with certainty what material the hilt is made of. Keep in mind that both minerals I suggested are also considered to be semi-precious stone, and are traditionally used to make jewelry.

As for the age of this dagger, I would guess late 19th century but it could very well be older or newer.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by templarnight

Can anyone give me any info on this Knife.
Blade is Wootz and possibly could have a repair in the middle.
Painted Jade? Grip.
38cm long.
Thanks for any help.

Salaams templarnight,

You could have a nice task making a scabbard for that one. It could make a great restoration project ! I looked up "the parrot in Indian Mythology" on the web and noted many details such as ~

The parrot (or the Indian parakeet) is a recurring motif in Indian mythology and folktales ~

The parrot in Hindu mythology is associated with Kama, the god of love. The reason for this could be its green feathers and red beak which associates it with fertility. Red beak represents the red earth before the rain and the green feathers represent the green earth after the rains. Red represents unfulfilled desire, full of yearning, while green represents fulfilled desire, full of joy.

In many south Indian temples, the Goddess holds a parrot in her hand. This is the gentle form of Devi, a contrast from her more fierce form where she is associated with tigers and lions. Both Kamakshi of Kanchi and Meenakshi of Madurai hold parrots. These goddesses are various forms of Parvati, wife of Shiva. In this form she is the love-goddess or enchantress who charms Shiva and transforms the hermit-god into a householder, thus ensuring a participation of god in worldly life. Thus, parrot or Suka has very strong sexual and romantic connotations. Little wonder then that one of the earliest collections of erotic stories in India is known as Suka-Saptati or 70 tales of the parrot.

Although Im sure the parrot and those colours are popular all over India I think the Southern Indian suggestion by Stan S is backed up here.

Regards Ibrahiim al Balooshi.