Elephant Goad
Not on view
The shaft and hooklike blade of this ceremonial implement are beautifully decorated in an onlay technique ("false damascening"). The decoration of the shaft, in particular, combines Mughal and Deccani taste in the two landscape scenes and in the late Mughal floral patterns, so the goad probably dates from the period when the Deccan was part of the Mughal empire. One side of the hook has a Persian inscription, "With all his heart, Farijdar Khan became the slave of 'Ali," indicating a Shiite owner.
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