Bombardier stilettos

[Matchlock]

With about all having been said and considered, I am afraid that I will not be able to contribute substantially. Artillery is just not sufficiently covered by my expertise but I finally did manage to find some more illustrations.

Unfortunately they cannot shed new light either on the discussion whether the numeric scales on gunners' stilettoes etc. refer to caliber or cannon adjustment. Literature seems to be very vague on these issues. About all I could find seems to prove that Jim is absolutely right in postulating an Italian provenance for gunners' stilettoes in general.

The caption to the stiletto below just notes 'stiletto with artillery scale, Venice, ca. 1670'.

I add some original illustrative sources on the use of artillery quadrants and other measuring methods, though.

Best,
Michael

[Matchlock]

A combined fighting axe and artillery quadrant made for Duke Julius of Brunswick in about 1585, and a combined gunner's calipers and dagger, Italian, ca. 1630.

m

[Matchlock]

Some historic sources of illustration, ca. 1560 to late 17th c.

m

[Matchlock]

Adjusting a cannon for firing stone balls of varying weight, 16th c.

m

[Jim McDougall]

Hi Michael,
Once again you amaze me at your ability to find exactly what supporting medieval art, iconography, museum pieces or catalogued items are needed for the topic at hand!
The combination axe and gunners quadrant of c.1585 is what I was looking for, what type of weapon/instrument devices might have led up to the application of numeric scales on these stilettos.
It would seem that the geometric computation of trajectory was a key focus in the instruments used prior to the mid 17th century appearance of these gunners stilettos, and I had wondered why these did not have the caliper feature in addition to the numeric scales.

It would seem that as we have agreed, there is little at all published on these esoteric weapons. The only reference I could find was an article apparantly published in 1931 by Sir James Mann. Finding this I thought that perhaps, since he catalogued the Wallace Collection in 1962, there might be notes there. I was right, there are three of these catalogued, all Italian, all c.1650.
In this he cites an Italian reference for bombardiers from Brescia in 1571, which states the scale was for converting the measurement of the diameter of the bore of a gun to corresponding weight of shot.
The reference does not state the scale was used on a stiletto, only that the graduation corresponds to the scale noted in 1571.

Since it seems that weapons and instruments, both important to the gunners, were in some degree combined, with the axe from 1585 in Brunswick. Also that in Italy by c.1630, a stiletto that opened into calipers was known. Naturally calipers may have been used in other calculation such as architecture, navigation etc. byt clearly artillery as well. Therefore it would seem a natural progression for the numeric scale to be added to the distinctly predominant Italian stiletto.

I suppose the numeric scale circumventing the 'stiletto control' law is reminiscent of many instances where insidious weapons are concealed in various items. There are of course the sword canes, and the well known 'jackknife' which developed from the navaja with folded blade which did not fall into the rigid blade laws forbidding ordinary civilians from carrying swords.

Perhaps these stilettos ceased being used for measuring powder at least, with the premeasured powder containers that preceded cartridges?

All the best Michael, and thank you so much!!!!
Jim