Dagger

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The green-stained ivory grip is carved with a delicacy that recalls many ivory objects made for the Ottoman court. The blade is inscribed in Turkish and Persian, the languages used at the Ottoman court: I besought a drink of water from your trenchant dagger, what if but once you should let me drink, what would you lose? If I thirst, his dagger is not laid down. This dagger, assembled during the reign of Sultan Abdulhamid I (r. 1774–89), incorporates a superb sixteenth-century grip and blade and an eighteenth-century guard. The carved grip matches Ottoman ivories dating to the period of Suleiman the Magnificent (r. 1520–66); its green color, beloved in Islamic thought, alludes to God and to life itself and elicits the idea of tranquility and refuge. The gold inscriptions on the blade, in Turkish and Persian, reproduce verses by the Turkish poet Necati (d. 1509) and refer to the waters of Paradise.

Arms and Armor

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The principal goals of the Arms and Armor Department are to collect, preserve, research, publish, and exhibit distinguished examples representing the art of the armorer, swordsmith, and gunmaker. Arms and armor have been a vital part of virtually all cultures for thousands of years, pivotal not only in conquest and defense, but also in court pageantry and ceremonial events. Throughout time the best armor and weapons have represented the highest artistic and technical capabilities of the society and period in which they were made, forming a unique aspect of both art history and material culture.

Metropolitan Museum of Art