Mughal emperor's gold dagger sold

Shah Jahan was known for his love of precious artefacts

A gold dagger which once belonged to Shah Jahan, the Mughal emperor who built the Taj Mahal, has been sold at auction for £1.7m.

The international fine art auction house, Bonhams, said the price was more than three times the estimate.

The emperor's personal dagger dates back to 1629-30, and carries his name.

It is part of the collection of late Jacques Desenfans who spent five decades collecting Islamic, Indian and south-east Asian art.

Claire Penhallurick, Head of Bonhams Indian and Islamic sales, said: "Objects of this quality and importance come to the market very, very rarely. We are delighted with the result."

'Master of stones'

Shah Jahan built the white marble monument to love, Taj Mahal, in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal.

He also created the world famous peacock throne.

"The inscriptions... on the blade include Shah Jahan's official titles, date and place of birth and the honorific parasol (an ancient pan-Asian symbol of divinity and royalty) which states that it was the personal dagger of Shah Jahan," according to a press release issued by London-based Bonhams.

Writing for Bonhams magazine, noted historian William Dalrymple says, "The emperor's (Shah Jahan's) love of beautiful and precious objects... was something many visitors commented on."

The Mughal emperor was "the greatest and richest master of precious stones that inhabited the whole earth," the Bonhams brochure says, quoting from Edward Terry, the chaplain to the British ambassador.

According to the auction house, Jacques Desenfans' collection was brought to public attention when the last Shah of Iran visited him personally at his home in 1969.

The collection includes arms and armour, early pottery and works of art.

Jacques Desenfans belonged to a wealthy Brussels family who owned textile factories in Lyon, France.