Left Hand Dagger?

[fernando]

I would not venture myself for a stilleto, looking at its hybrid composition.
Stilettos, as the word means, are supposed to be rather thin, which doesn't seem to be the 'ferocious' blade tip of this weapon.
Neither a Spanish 'daga de mano izquierda' (maing gauche is a Gallicism), even having come from a Spanish collector.
Also i am surprised that Spanish left handers came into action at a later stage; there are Toledan 'guardamanos' in the Real Armeria from the XVII century, a time when they were used in sword & dagger fighting.

[fernando]

The Toledan Almaus, father and son, used a star for mark and so is a star in my centoventi; but both are distinct in shape with the one in Udo's example.


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[Jim McDougall]

I agree on the note this is not a stilletto, especially not Italian and not the gunners stiletto, with narrow blade as Fernando describes to insert in touch hole if emplacement overrun...to 'spike' the cannon.

The flared tip, seemingly armor or otherwise piercing enabling.....this was not just for armor, but heavily padded textiles often worn.

Fernando, the 'star' on the example shown is a 'pentagram' with five points, not the asterisk type used in Toledo. If the five point star existed over a century before, it does seem possible of course to have still been in use somewhere.

The classical styling of the hilt does suggest Italy or Spain as context, but hard to say for sure. An anomaly to be sure!

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

...Fernando, the 'star' on the example shown is a 'pentagram' with five points, not the asterisk type used in Toledo. If the five point star existed over a century before, it does seem possible of course to have still been in use somewhere...

Jim, i was only (un)establishing some relation in context. If i do look for star marks in general i notice that six pointed ones abound circa 1500's (Armi Bianche) and a five pointed one may be seen in a XIV century halberd (Waldman).

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by fernando

Jim, i was only (un)establishing some relation in context. If i do look for star marks in general i notice that six pointed ones abound circa 1500's (Armi Bianche) and a five pointed one may be seen in a XIV century halberd (Waldman).

Got it. It seems weird that a 'punctuation' character would be used as a personal marking, when these were used so randomly in cosmological motifs.
While each of these are regarded as 'stars' , in symbolic literature they carry very different meanings. Gets pretty confusing