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Dagger with Sheath | Iranian | 18th–19th century | Met Museum
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Arms and Armour (1911) Auguste Demmin
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Mycenaean Swords with elaborate 'Gold Plating' (1600-1300 BC), Crete, Greece.
Sword with gold-capped rivet and gold plating on the hilt.
Small dagger with three gold-plated rivets.
Gold-plated hilt with repoussé decoration representing lions hunting goats, held in place by gold rivets and gold ring.
Sword with repoussé spiral motif on hilt.
Sword with five gold-plated rivets.
Courtesy: Archaeological Museum of Heracleion, Crete
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Eskilstuna daggers
Eskilstuna is a Swedish town with a centuries-old tradition in metal-smithing and especially cutlery. While Mora is famous for its simple and sturdy knives, Eskilstuna went for flair.
These daggers are from ~1850 to ~1950, though they're still made today. They usually come with intricately carved wooden or metal hilts, steel singled-edged blades (designs vary, but a curved tip is common), and even more intricately carved sheaths, often made of tin. Sizes vary from ~12 cm (these are decorative more than anything) to ~30 cm, but most are somewhere in the middle.
For dates and manufacturers, see in ALT and after the cut:
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Italian dagger
Southern Italy, first half of the 19th Century, 32.6 cm
"Straight, double-edged blade of hexagonal section. Tang pierced, carved and engraved with a torch between two wings, flames made of copper. The following part pierced at the centre with a long arrow and toothed semicircles. Finely carved, iron knot. Octagonal, wooden grip with silver mounts, front and back bands with floral and heart inlays, side bands with floral, heart and half-moon inlays, intertwined staves at the corners, outlined cap (small pitting) and ring nut. Wooden scabbard covered with blue velvet (completely frayed) and with engraved, silver-foil mounts (detached chape), belt hook."
tinyurl.com/mrx5tyhd
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A Roundel Dagger, late XVth century.
Commission work.
This one was an attempt at making a dagger after the amazing wood panels from the Studiolo of Federico da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino - works of wonder in the Art of Woodworking.
But as realistic as they can be, there was still a few hurdles to ocercome, as for example the dagger depicted there doesn't show any separation between the mouth of the scabbard and the top of the guard roundel, or as the handle appears unrealistically short.
But careful examination, cross-referencing with other period artwork and a bit of experience allowed to reach this result, which I hope you'll appreciate.
The blade itself has hollow flats, with a strong back and a sharp, sharp edge. It is of sandwich construction, with modern high carbon steel between two old iron layers ; the same old iron was used for the roundels, which are hollow. The guard roundel is made with a hidden plate between the top disc, inserted from the tang, and the bottom disc, cut to fit the blade section.
This old metal shows a nice, uneven texture.
The grip is boxwood, with fileworked, gilt steel fittings.
The vegetable tanned leather scabbard was hand-decorated so as to match that of a sword owned by the customer, which is said to be Federico's very own.
And there's silk too.
Overall length is about 43 cm, with a 305 mm blade - I followed the recommendations of Maestro Philipo di Vadi for that (its length being enough for the blade to cover slightly more than my forearm), as the Pisan Master offered his treatise to Federico's own son Guidobaldo - about 9 mm thick at its base.
It weighs 340 grams, and the point of balance is at the guard.
The spherical chappe end is gilt too, echoing the one on top of the dagger.
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Head of a partisan from the guard of King Henry III of France, dated 1588.
from The Worcester Art Museum
Source: worcester.emuseum.com
