Parrying Dagger

Unknown

ca. 1550–75 · Steel, gold, brass, wood · Arms and Armor

Designed to be used together with a rapier, this dagger is fitted with a side ring, recurved quillons, and a depression at the base of one side of the blade to accommodate the thumb and facilitate a firmer grip. The waves in the blade may be intended to act like "speed bumps" in breaking the impact of a blow from an opponent's blade. The piercing of the fullers (grooves) is a decorative motif.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1550–75

Medium

Steel, gold, brass, wood

Culture

Italian

Department

Arms and Armor

Credit line

Gift of Jean Jacques Reubell, in memory of his mother, Julia C. Coster, and of his wife, Adeline E. Post, both of New York City, 1926