Main Gauche or Misercorde Dagger

[Jim McDougall]

Actually, I had no idea of the term either until I looked it up online yesterday, and truthfully saw a cinquedea oddly in this plate from Castle, wondering WHY it was with left hand daggers! Books are a wonderful thing, however, they have severe limitations, and have always been hard to come by. Most of these I have cited were rare books even in my early days of collecting and I could only access them via interlibrary loan and photocopy pages.

Thankfully we now have the web, and many new references, with these classics now reprinted and readily available. This is good..........as the 'bookmobile' does not have room for a library of notable presence

As you note on the 'cinquedea', that is the PROPER term for these Italian large daggers, which were worn actually in the small of the back. My note to the use of 'anelace' as the term for what we know is 'cinquedea' was to show how the antiquarians of this 19th c. period used terms rather 'unusually', and how Demmin, one of their contemporaries was the source they followed.

Your notes on the 'sail' daggers are well placed and as always fascinating.
One of the most intriguing things for me over the years studying here are the remarkable notes and colorful terminology you have always shared which illustrate the Portuguese and Spanish perspectives on these arms. These I have copied into notes that augment these references I have otherwise, as it is material entirely valuable and NOT found in any books I have.

The highlights on the page shown were not intended for anything in this discussion, but were result of research years ago on these, and were as noted with regard to the often fanciful notions of many of these unusual features.

The best thing in our discussions are the dynamics of shared ideas and supportive evidence, which are, as seen here, most helpful seen together comprehensively regardless of source material. I know I've learned a great deal on these daggers in this, and hope the readers have as well.

As always
Jim

[fernando]

Wait until i tell you the name given to the cinquedeia by the Portuguese; LINGUA DE VACA = COW TONGUE. Easy to know why, when you think of the blade shape .




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[sabertasche]

Thank you all for commenting on my new acquisition. As always I am in awe of the breadth of knowledge within the Forum.

Greg