Italian Silver-inlaid Dagger, 16th-17th Centuries

16th-17th Century Italian Silver Encrusted Dagger

A fine dagger from the century, which falls in one of our favourite periods of the Renaissance.

It's form and design are simple without an elaborate hilt, but still having that artistic elegance while still being a weapon. Something the Italian arms and armour masters were known for. Inspecting the dagger, one notices the blade has shifted and the ride sided quillon (main photo) was broken and replaced. The left side quillon (main photo) also has an upswept quillon which points to the user being left-handed, this coupled with the contact area on the blade confirm my suspicions.

The hilt design is early and very simple, but when you look closely the subtle details in the hilt come out, from the fine lines engraved in the pommel to the small details in the quillon block and quillon. The silver accents have small traces of engravings and show the smiths true expertise in craftsmanship. The grip is bound in some form of leather and the spiral binding is embossed, making the overall feel in hand is excellent.

The dagger is fitted with an fullered blade having multiples fullers with perforation, which would have been both aesthetically impressive while reduce the weight. The blade shows signs of trauma and would have undergone serious force to shift the blade.


Specifications:

Length  55.6 cm

Blade 41 cm

Weight 0.3kg