Here they are: the early Italian combined pin hammer, fire striker, pyrites hammer and screw driver, ca. 1550 (left), together with a simpler oriental form, probably Albania or Afghanistan, 18th-19th centuries.
The same decorative structure as on my mid 16th century Italian hammer is reflected by the world famous papal hammer, Rome, with which the the door of St. Peter's Cathedral was solemnly and ritualitstically opened in The Holy Year 1550. I attach a picture; please note that the wooden handle is a later replacement.
Michael
Last edited by Matchlock; 9th April 2009 at 10:28 AM.
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