Rare Left-hand Dagger With A Fragmented Ring, 16th Century

This left-handed dagger is a very rare example, both for its fragmented ring hilt and the highly unusual profile of its blade. It is French and can be dated to the second half of the 16th century. Its size and elegance indicate that it is a refined object, certainly made for a nobleman of high rank. It is the type of gentleman's dagger worn with courtly attire, and not the rustic model intended for battlefields and assassinations in dark streets.
The Polish influence of the hilt is quite clear, and one might be tempted to place the object in the hands of a member of the entourage of the man who was King of Poland and later King of France under the name Henry III. In any case, the quality of the hilt's finish is evident, and the blade is an extremely rare model with a strong central ridge on each face.
BLADE : After a 3.5 cm ricasso adorned with two lateral fullers on each face, it transitions into a double-edged section with two central fullers on each face, framing a very strong central ridge. This distinctive profile gives the blade great strength.
Blade length = 21.1 cm, width at the ricasso = 1.9 cm, thickness at the ricasso = 6.1 mm.
 GUARD : This is a guard with two flattened quillons folded forward in a "drapery" fashion. The hand guard consists of two half-rings, each ending in a stylized, facing head of a fantastic animal. On the back face, at the central part of the cross guard, there is a sort of central steel half-pearl.
POMMEL : It is flattened, described as "cap-shaped," and resembles the berets worn at court at the time.
GRIP : It is twisted and covered with a very thintwisted iron wire binding . The braided crown ferrules, known as "Turk's heads," are present and in very good condition.
This gentleman's dagger is of a very rare model and of a quality of workmanship well above average. It will find its place in a collection of quality weapons dating from the 16th and 17th centuries.
Ref H-2632 Free shipping within France. Europe = €30