Ear dagger

[corrado26]

I found this ear dagger in my foto archive with the equivalent description of the seller:
Magnificent 19th C. Spanish Ear Dagger in 15th C. Moorish style, Toledo work of Zuloaga type: A truly magnificent antique ear dagger. This example has a fine grip and is covered in silver and gold koftgari of very fine quality. A very beautiful dagger and almost impossible to find at all in any condition much less this quality. Dates to the 19th C. and likely composed by the finest toledo smiths in the classical spanish Moorish style typical of the finest Eusebio Zuloaga work. Overall length is 16", 10" blade, 2 3/4" from ear to ear.
corrado26

[messia]

add photos from another phone

[messia]

and

[fernando]

How relative may the antique attribution be ?
Calling an end XIX century ear dagger an antique is eventually a figure of speech. Whether not well established if Nasrids brought this dagger from North Africa to the Iberian Peninsula as being a weapon of their creation or if indeed it has a previous (Oriental) provenance, the fact is that it is one of the more important contributions of the Nasrid panoply, like the jineta, was well available in their workshops in the XIII century; in such way that the only original example of this type, eventually belonging in the attire of Muhammad XII (Boabdil) when he was captured in the battle of Lucena (1483) is already considered by specialists as a 'later' version; in any case, an example matching with the adornments of a king, now in the Real Armeria de Madrid, the shield of the Nasrid sultanate figuring in its scabbard.
But a adornment was also the one we can see depicted in a portrait of King Emperor Carlos V (circa 1519).
So calling XIX-XX century examples a replica wouldn't be such a crime .

.

[Jim McDougall]

Further, as well noted by Fernando:

From "Arms and Armour of Spain: A Short Survey"
Ada Bruhn de Hoffmeyer, p.200

"...the Spanish dagger above all, is however the ear dagger".

"...the eared dagger is of oriental origin. Very probably it has its origin in Iran or at the borders of the Caspian Sea. Its earliest forerunners are to be found in Luristan among eared daggers of the Bronze Age. Later time Iranian specimens with grips of ornamented silver from about 400-600AD have almost the same shape as the Spanish types. They may also be called the prototypes of the ear dagger. It came to Europe with the Moors of Andalusia and partly with the Saracen artisans working in Venice. "

Clearly this classic form is found in antiquity, and was replicated in commemoration of these traditional daggers at various times over the centuries.
It seems well established that the 19th century replicas of these forms have indeed become antiques in their own right.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

Further, as well noted by Fernando:

From "Arms and Armour of Spain: A Short Survey"
Ada Bruhn de Hoffmeyer, p.200

"...the Spanish dagger above all, is however the ear dagger".

"...the eared dagger is of oriental origin. Very probably it has its origin in Iran or at the borders of the Caspian Sea. Its earliest forerunners are to be found in Luristan among eared daggers of the Bronze Age. Later time Iranian specimens with grips of ornamented silver from about 400-600AD have almost the same shape as the Spanish types. They may also be called the prototypes of the ear dagger. It came to Europe with the Moors of Andalusia and partly with the Saracen artisans working in Venice. "



Clearly this classic form is found in antiquity, and was replicated in commemoration of these traditional daggers at various times over the centuries.
It seems well established that the 19th century replicas of these forms have indeed become antiques in their own right.

I was reading Ada Bruhn de Hoffmeyer thus you beat me to it Jim ! See https://books.google.com.om/books?id...dagger&f=false and a picture below and some ear daggers...Amazing that these as a style appear to have originated in Luristan ...

[Reventlov]

Another interesting reference is a 1964 article by J.J. Rodriguez Lorente, which suggests criteria for distinguishing ear daggers of Moorish, Spanish, and Venetian craftsmanship.

The XVth Century Ear Dagger. Its Hispano-Moresque origin

The article mentions a large collection of daggers held by the Museo Lazaro Galdiano. Nine daggers appear in the museum's online catalogue:

Museo Lazaro Galdiano

A little drawing by Hans Schaufelein (c. 1510) shows that Northerners were also aware of this style of dagger, and made use of it at least as an "exotic" artistic element.

Hans Schaufelein, Archer Drawing His Bow

[Reventlov]

Check out this one... auctioned by Czerny's in March 2010, estimated at €18,000, went for €210,000. Then in October of the same year, resold at Sotheby's for more than €4,200,000!

Czerny's, March 2010
Sotheby's, October 2010

On the hilt, between the ears, the dagger bears what appears to be the Nasrid coat of arms. The same arms (and same maker's mark of an orb-and-cross) appear on other daggers, such as one in the Bargello.

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

... antiques in their own right...

So are we both, Jim ... with the particularity that we are genuine specimens

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by fernando

So are we both, Jim ... with the particularity that we are genuine specimens

Roger that Nando!!!!!

[Jim McDougall]

Interesting to see the discussion and responses posted here on this dagger, in comparison to its posting now running concurrently on sfi forum

[fernando]

You ain't seen nothing yet. How is your castillian ?

http://www.alhambra-patronato.es/fil...sa_nazar__.pdf