Piha-Kaetta Sri Lankan Dagger or Knife

Piha-Kaetta Dagger with Brass and Silver Mounts

Sri Lanka

18th century

length: 31.5cm, weight: 282g

This is a fine example of an eighteenth century piha-kaetta. The hilt is of horn finely carved and detailed with a liya-pata pattern. The end is encased in a broad rounding of silver that has been chased with typically Ceylonese scrolling foliage and fruit motifs, and surmounted by a gilded, spherical tang finial. The hilt is further embellished with fine diamond-shaped leaf motif plaques in silver.

The blade is straight with a single edge. The top of the blade is encased in thick silver that has been extravagantly chased with repeated geometric flower motifs. That part of the blade nearest the handle is thickly encased with sheet silver and extravagantly foliate copper that has been gilded and inlaid with silver motifs.

The scabbard is of two halves of grooved, light wood, the upper part of which has been encased in a band of thin, silver sheet edged with fine, twisted silver wire.

This piha-kaetta is in fine condition. There are no losses and no repairs. The wood of the scabbard has an old but stable age-related crack. There is some rubbing to the gilding, but overall, the piha-kaetta has an excellent patina.

Provenance

UK art market

References

Caravana, J. et al, Rites of Power: Oriental Weapons: Collection of Jorge Caravana, Caleidoscopio, 2010.

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.

Inventory no.: 2256

SOLD