Object Title

Dagger - Baselard

Dagger - Baselard

Date

1300-1399

Object Number

X.297

Provenance

Purchased May 1961. Purchased by the vendor at Christie's sale, 25 April 1961, forming part of the Dacre Kendrick Edwards Collection

Physical Description

The hilt consists of a slender grip with a long cross-guard above and below, the faces of the hilt covered with three pieces of dark wood on each side secured by a series of seventeen hollow rivets. Straight two-eded blade of flattened diamond section with two central fullers on each face, rising at the hilt and extending about half way along the blade.

Techniques

Riveted

Materials

Wood, Ferrous metal

Dimensions

BladeLength365 mm
OveralLength450 mm
OverallWeight397 g

Inscriptions and Marks

none

Associations

Bibliographic References

A.R. Dufty and A. Borg, European Swords and Daggers in the Tower of London, London, 1974, p. 34, Pl. 95a.

A.L. Thompson, 'Medieval Daggers', Military Illustrated, No. 102, Nov. 1996, pp. 52-55, at p. 52 (illus.): 'early 15th cent... from Germany' (possibly based on outdated caption).

[A.] L. Thompson, Daggers and Bayonets. A History, Spellmount, Staplehurst, 1999, p. 23 (illus.) (same image on title page) - 'possibly Italian or Swiss, 14th C.' and p. 26.

Notes

For a similar dagger, see G.F. Laking, 'A Record of European Armour and Arms through Seven Centuries', London, 1920-22, VOL.3, PAGE 10, fig. 748 - from Frankfurt-am-Main; Laking, Pavyer and Furnage collections. The typed inventory (IBE) formerly had X.297 as 'probably German, early 15th century'.
A disc bearing this number, attached to a long copper wire, was found in the Middle Flint, Feb. 1992).

Information

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