A Museum Piece, Antique 17th-18th Century Sinhalese Nobleman's Dagger Piha Kaetta, From The Royal Workshops of The King Of Kandy With Fabulous Gold Alloy, Silver, & Carved Black Coral Grip, and Very Unusually With its Original Scabbard.

The knife has being cleaned and conserved in the workshop

From our latest incredible collection of early 'Royal' daggers from the 17th century Pattal-hatara (Four Workshops) of the King of Kandy of Sri Lanka


From the sixteenth century, the Kandyan kingdom was drawn into the Wars of Kotte Succession after the Kingdom of Kotte was divided among three brothers. It was also at this time that the Portuguese Empire intruded into the internal affairs of Sri Lanka, establishing control over the maritime regions of the island and seeking to control its lucrative external trade. During this civil war the Kandyan kingdom almost lost its independence the Kingdom of Sitawaka who occupied it for a decade. The Crisis culminated in the collapse of the Kotte kingdom in 1597 and all of its successor states, including the Sitawaka kingdom. Kandy was the only independent Sinhalese kingdom to survive thus beginning the Kandyan period (1592–1815). Kandyan rulers, in an effort to protect their independence, alternated between resistance and diplomacy when dealing with the Europeans.
In the seventeenth century, the kingdom formed an alliance with the Dutch East India Company to expel the Portuguese from the island. Although the Portuguese were eventually removed, the Dutch double-crossed the Kandyans and retained control of the coastal regions and relations between Kandy and the Dutch became strained. The Kandyans and the Dutch would engage in two wars with the later resulting in loss of all of Kandy's remaining coastal territory, making it a landlocked country.

A single edged robust steel blade with fuller along the back edge. The forte and spine of the blade are heavily encrusted in silver and gold alloy with scrolling foliage, encased on each side with chased silver alloy bolster panels, over the base, decorated with finely chased floral and vine scrolling foliage, with finely carved black coral grip.

The hilt is finely carved and detailed with aliya-pata pattern hilt. The end is encased in a broad rounding of silver and gold alloy that has been chased in high relief with particularly fine Ceylonese scrolling foliage and flower motifs. From this is emitted a rounded tang button. In its wood scabbard with fluted finish and small wood part repaired

These fabulous and beautiful, elaborately decorated knives are the product of the Pattal-hatara (four royal workshops), the blades being supplied by smiths.
This was a mainly hereditary corporation of the best craftsmen who worked exclusively for the king in Kandy. Originally there was only one pattala but this was subsequently divided into sections which included a Randaku pattala (golden sword armoury or workshop). As well as being worn by courtiers, these knives were given by the king to nobles and to the temples. "The best of the higher craftsmen (gold and silversmiths, painters, and ivory carvers, etc.) working immediately for the king formed a close, largely hereditary, corporation of craftsmen called the Pattal-hatara (Four Workshops). They were named as follows; The Ran Kadu Golden Arms, the Abarana Regalia, the Sinhasana Lion Throne, and the Otunu Crown these men worked only for the King, unless by his express permission (though, of course, their sons or pupils might do otherwise); they were liable to be continually engaged in Kandy, while the Kottal-badda men were divided into relays, serving by turns in Kandy for periods of two months.
A related but less ornate example but without a scabbard currently is on display in London’s Victoria & Albert Museum. Also another, later but very similar to ours, with scabbard, in the same Museum, see below link,
Another example is in the Clive Collection (see Archer, 1987, p. 45 for an illustration.). The Clive example was first mentioned in inventories in 1775.
References
Caravana, J. et al, Rites of Power: Oriental Weapons: Collection of Jorge Caravana, Caleidoscopio, 2010.
Hales, R.,
Islamic and Oriental Arms and Armour: A Lifetime’s Passion, Robert Hale CI Ltd, 2013.

De Silva, P.H.D.H & S. Wickramasinghe,
Ancient Swords, Daggers & Knives in Sri Lankan Museums, Sri Lanka National Museums, 2006.

Weereratne, N.,
Visions of an Island: Rare works from Sri Lanka in the Christopher Ondaatje Collection, Harper Collins, 1999.

https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O452562/knife-and-sheath/

Occasionally, as we are Great Britain’s leading gallery of our kind, we had had such knives, over the past 30 years, before, but nothing as fine as these museum grade examples, from the small collection we were thrilled to have acquired.

Code: 20007