dagger series nr4 THE BALLOCK

cornelistromp · 8th February 2014, 09:34 AM

I call this dagger THE Ballock , because it is one of the earliest and perhaps the finest of its kind .
This dagger came between the end of the 14th century and the middle of the 15th century. it consists of four parts;
a burr or walnut often blackened grip outof one piece with two large bulbous protrusions.
a simple guard plate.
a multistage blade often with a reinforced point.
and a washer .
The theory behind this multistage blade is that it has a blunt back and only one effective cutting edge so it could qualify in the early 15th century as a knife and therefor was allowed within the city walls, daggers were in fact prohibited.
The point is reinforced , this has nothing to do with the stabbing through armour (a Panzerstecher) but is for security for the point if you accidentally drop it.

These daggers are immense in size , around 40cm long with big grips.
Of this type are today still examples found in ancient canals in the Netherlands, probably thrown into the water by the city guard.

In art , the finest example of this type can be seen in a painting by Hieronymus Bosch , the arrest of Christ .
very clear is the blunt back, the multistage Blade and large bulbous balls.

herewith three exemples from my collection.

best,
jasper

8th February 2014, 09:34 AM	#1
cornelistromp Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 1,057	dagger series nr4 THE BALLOCK I call this dagger THE Ballock , because it is one of the earliest and perhaps the finest of its kind . This dagger came between the end of the 14th century and the middle of the 15th century. it consists of four parts; a burr or walnut often blackened grip outof one piece with two large bulbous protrusions. a simple guard plate. a multistage blade often with a reinforced point. and a washer . The theory behind this multistage blade is that it has a blunt back and only one effective cutting edge so it could qualify in the early 15th century as a knife and therefor was allowed within the city walls, daggers were in fact prohibited. The point is reinforced , this has nothing to do with the stabbing through armour (a Panzerstecher) but is for security for the point if you accidentally drop it. These daggers are immense in size , around 40cm long with big grips. Of this type are today still examples found in ancient canals in the Netherlands, probably thrown into the water by the city guard. In art , the finest example of this type can be seen in a painting by Hieronymus Bosch , the arrest of Christ . very clear is the blunt back, the multistage Blade and large bulbous balls. herewith three exemples from my collection. best, jasper Attached Images Last edited by cornelistromp; 8th February 2014 at 06:41 PM.