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LOT 1873
Medieval Iron Knife with Bronze Pommel
CIRCA 1500 A.D.
7 3/8 in. (23 grams, 18.7 cm).
Comprising a single cutting edge and scale tang, bifacial pommel incised with a female figure possibly holding an arrow to one face and what is apparently a mythical beast or other animal to the other.
ProvenanceAcquired 1960s-1990s.
Late Alison Barker collection, a retired London barrister.
Cf. Marquardt, K., Eight Centuries of European Knives, Forks and Spoons: an Art Collection, Europe, 1997, pp.29-31, for similar.
FootnotesExamining the medieval miniatures, the knives were diagonally suspended, but the vertical suspension was the most common method in all periods. With the contrivance of an additional inner scabbard it was possible to carry more than one knife.
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AUCTIONS:
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Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection.
Some of these axes (type VIIa in the Glosek's classification) are a common type in Western Europe, widespread between 12th-15th century A.D. Mostly the specimens are 'carpenter's hatchets' that could also be used as offensive weapons if necessary. -
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