Loading, please wait...
_900x900.jpg "Medieval Iron Single-Edged Dagger")
_200x200.jpg "Medieval Iron Single-Edged Dagger")
.jpg "Medieval Iron Single-Edged Dagger")
LOT 1905
Medieval Iron Single-Edged Dagger
14TH-15TH CENTURY A.D.
11 1/2 in. (123 grams, 29.3 cm).
Comprising a slender cutting edge and a long tang. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired 1960s-1990s.
Late Alison Barker collection, a retired London barrister.
Cf. Cowgill, J. et al., Knives and Scabbards. Medieval Finds from Excavations in London, London, 1987, no.76, for a similar knife; cf. Colcough, S., Image and Reality in Medieval Weaponry and Warfare: Wales c.1100-c.1450, Bangor University, 2015, no.554C, fig.7.14, for a similar single-edged blade, belonging to a quillon dagger.
FootnotesFrom the documentary evidence, the dagger was not a weapon in widespread use. In some sources, daggers are called handsets, presumably originating from the Anglo-Saxon scramasaxes, implying that they were a single-bladed knife rather than a dual-bladed dagger. It is unclear whether such daggers were primarily intended for military or civilian functions; although they may have been used in both, their primary uses were likely to be civilian.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
-
Medieval Silver Ring with Bird
15th-16th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £91
With discoid bezel, incised border enclosing a perching regardant bird with wings spread. 4.26 grams, 21.09 mm overall, 18.47 mm internal diameter (approximate size British P, USA 7 1/2, Europe 16.23, Japan 15)
Acquired on the European art market since the early 2000s. From the private Northern Ireland collection of R.M. -
Medieval Knight's Heraldic Red Enamelled Bronze Roundel with Silver Unicorn
15th century A.D.Estimate: £400 - 600 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £200
A heavily patinated silver plate with red enamel field and reserved unicorn couchant among quatrefoils; pierced for suspension. 12.29 grams, 42 mm
From a Northants, UK, collection, 1990s.
The design appears to be based on the 'Maid and the Unicorn' tapestry now in the Cluny Museum, Paris, dated to circa 1500 A.D. The field of the tapestry is strewn with numerous flowers which gives the name 'millefleurs' ('thousand flowers') to the type. -
Medieval Bronze Seal Matrix with Clasped Hands
12th-14th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £20
With central mane-in-fede motif beneath a star, Lombardic script legend '* FOY ME TENT' for 'fidelity sustains me'. 4.37 grams, 20 mm
Ex Stocker collection, Kent, UK, 1955-early 2000s.
This amatory legend is found on other matrices, where the first word is more usually spelled FEI – a similar example is PAS database, SOM-D80124. An impression in the National Library of Wales is attached to a document dated c.1310. For this and similar legends see, Jones, M., The Beautiful Game: Courtly Love Posies in Anglo-Norman Inscribed on Jewellery and Seals, in Journal of the British Archaeological Association 176 (2023), 1-30.
