Dagger With a Parrot-shaped Pommel

ca. 1600

This golden dagger, inlaid with rubies and emeralds, has a rock-crystal handle in the shape of a parrot, a common motif in Hindu and Deccan art of the 16th and 17th centuries. An important trading center for artefacts made of hard and precious stones, Goa was full of goldsmiths and Indo-Portuguese stone cutters who created works in a distinctive style. The exceptional quality of this dagger suggests ceremonial rather than daily use. It probably belonged to a high-ranking person.