European Left Hand Dagger

[sabertasche]

Hi all, I need some interpretation of this dagger, the property of a local museum. They have no info on this and I offered to help. My interpretation is a European (Italian?) left hand or parrying dagger of the late 17th century.

The total size is 12.3/4 inches. The blade is cruciform in shape. There is a large ricasso. The quillon block shows evidence of engraving. The handle is horn, carved with rectangles, each inset with mother-of-pearl. Alternating with this design are metal pins.

What are the forum's thoughts on this dagger? The museum needs a approximate date range. I have already given them a price range, based on auction catalogues, Millers Guides etc.

[Rick]

This looks more like a stiletto to me .
Were it a Main Gauche I would expect more protection for the hand .

[Tim Simmons]

This will not sound nice. I am not saying this is one, especially as we cannot see the whole blade and have no idea of the cross section/topography of the blade. I have seen some things alone these lines that are meat skewers for the carving of a large piece of meat. The handle is a little dainty for swordsmanship. Looking at pics through the PC, I could be wrong, but I am not sure about the turned quillions screwing into the rectangular part of the handle. As I said I may have it all wrong.

[wolviex]

Deiffinietely doesn't look like left-hand dagger! Rick could be right about stiletto. Can't say anything about date, knives like that were in use from 17th century and later. I believe decoration will be crucial to identify this piece.

[Rick]

More pictures please .

[Jim McDougall]

Hello Sabertasche,
I think Rick is right on target, this does appear to be a stiletto, and I think Miichael is right in that the decoration will probably give us more distinct answers.
Initially when seeing this I recalled a now rather obscure article I have not looked at in over a decade on the Italian stilettos termed 'fusetti' or gunners stilettos ("Gunners Daggers" by Marcello Terenzi, in "Arms & Armor Annual", ed. R.Held, 1973, pp.170-79). This dagger looks remarkably like these, which typically date from 17th-18th c., and of course usually had graduated lines used to mark gunpowder charges. However there are numerous differences in motif, the absence of the scale markings notwithstanding ,that pretty much eliminate that possibility.

I had thought possibly that since the motif and rather conical form of the hilt on this suggest probably mid 18th century, and certainly European, that it might be more of a dress dagger for a cannoneer officer etc. In the article it is noted that the stiletto was a deadly and considered most insidious weapon and was prohibited to being carried by civilians or unauthorized persons. With this, often individuals carved simulated scale markings on blades to disguise their weapons. By 1728 the regulations were no longer in place and the numerically scaled blades began to diminish. Still, it seemed that the idea of this being a traditional dress example of gunners stiletto was unlikely.

In looking though other references, probably the closest similarity I found is in Claude Blair ("European & American Arms", N.Y. 1962, plate 216) which is termed a 'quillon dagger' and English, provenanced to c.1645. The hilt is faceted and also of the more conical form, and the crossguard has the central block with balustrade quillons as on the example we discuss. The Blair example seems to recall the earlier stiletto type dagger known as a 'ballock knife' (also 'Dudgeon dagger'), which although without quillons was known as an insidious weapon used in assassinations.

The diagonal diaper of quadrefoil mother of pearl inlays suggests other traditional English weapons, especially certain hangers from Hounslow, although the geometric forms and positioning are not necessarily identical. While these were of course mid 17th century, it seems that tradition in the styling of weapons was still vestigially maintained in the 18th century which I sense this weapon is from.

In my opinion this dagger is quite plausibly a court dagger of first half of 18th century, and although I feel strongly inclined to English provenance, the Continental possibilities cannot be discounted. *

References:
"Lores of Arms", William Reid, Stockholm, 1976, p.49
"European & Armerican Arms", Claude Blair, N.Y. 1962, plate 216
"Daggers and Fighting Knives of the Western World", Harold Peterson,
1968, pp.50-51
"Daggers and Bayonets", Logan Thompson, Colo. 1999, pp.36-37
"Swords, Daggers and Cutlasses", Gerald Weyand, 1991, p.92
"Swords and Hilt Weapons", ed. Michael Coe, 1989, pp.78-82

* In reviewing material in Coe (op.cit.) p.74 there is a Dalmatian schiavona with its guard decorated in studs of similar diagonal diaper, dated c.1734, and there seems strong possibility that this dagger could correspond in some degree. Certainly further research on this might reveal more. It is known that these forces in service of the Venetian Republic carried daggers, however the examples known are typically of a form with downward sloped quillons.

Best regards,
Jim