Justin King
Well-Known Member
This is based on an original in the Wallace Collection, which is one of the most beautiful weapons I have ever seen. It is pictured in "Arms and Armor of the Medieval Knight" by David Edge and John Miles Paddock, on p. 150. This is the only extant photograph I can find of it, and being a copyrighted image it would be dubious for me to post a scan of it here. I have searched online and have found no other photos, I would very much appreciate any leads to other images of it that anyone can offer.
A catalog of arms in the collection by Guy Francis Laking lists it as:
"127. Dagger. The pommel is of fleur-de-lys shape; small drooping quillons ending in spirally fluted knobs. Dec.: none. Horn grip of hexagonal section narrowing to fit the base of the pommel. The blade, 12-1/2 ins. long, of diamond section, back edged and grooved 2-7/8 ins. from the hilt. Probably German, about 1530 (1109)"
The original is heavily sculpted and wonderfully complex in form, but is conspicously devoid of any gilding, engraving, or other decoration, which fascinates me. It is clearly a weapon, with little or no utilitarian value. The combination of breathtaking beauty and deadly, single-minded purpose gives it an eerie quality that has become an obsession for me.
My re-creation is based on the single photo and the description above. This is my second attempt, this one features every detail of the original that is visible in the photo, or mentioned in the catalog entry. Due to the single photo I had to extrapolate/guess at a couple of transition areas, but this is as close to the original as I am able to make it.
Blade is 5160, pommel and guard are forged/filed from mild steel and the grip is horn, bound with a steel ferrule at either end. No castings are present, every piece is forged and/or fabricated by hand. 12-3/4" blade, 17-3/4" overall. The blade is approx. 1/4" thick at the base and is nearly zero-ground due to the rapier-like edge geometry. Assembly is peened.
