Knife (Piha Kaetta) with Sheath
Unknown Artist
18th century
Medium
Steel, brass, silver, horn (buffalo or rhioceros), wood
Dimensions
H. with sheath 11 5/8 in. (29.5 cm); H. without sheath 10 3/4 in. (27.3 cm); H. of blade 6 1/2 in. (16.5 cm); W. 1 9/16 in. (4 cm); D. 1 in. (2.5 cm); Wt. 8.6 oz. (235.3 g); Wt. of sheath 1.7 oz (48.2 g)
Classification
Knives
Culture
Sri Lankan
Department
Arms and Armor
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Bashford Dean, 1920
Accession Number
20.138.2a, b
Art Historical Context
This exquisite 18th-century Sri Lankan knife, known as a *Piha Kaetta*, exemplifies the island's rich tradition of finely crafted edged weapons. Measuring 11⅝ inches with its sheath, the dagger features a slender, leaf-shaped steel blade measuring 6½ inches, adorned with brass, silver, and horn (likely from buffalo or rhinoceros) fittings, plus a wooden hilt. Weighing just 8.6 ounces without its 1.7-ounce sheath, its balanced design speaks to both functionality and artistry, now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Arms and Armor Department as a gift from Bashford Dean in 1920. In Kandy...