Left hand dagger with wooden sheath and bodkin with silver mounts, Dresden, Saxony, ca. 1580

Left hand dagger with bodkin and sheath.

Given in memory of Lee Hardy Judd

This dagger is from the armoury of the Electors of Saxony in Dresden. It was lent to the Museum by Dr Francis Gordon-Watson in April 1962 and was purchased from his widow for £150 after his death in 1965. The Museum bought it using funds provided by Mrs Nadia Gordon in memory of her late brother, Lee Hardy Judd.

Historical significance: This dagger is one of a series that formerly equipped the electoral guard at Dresden in Saxony.

This dagger was probably once twinned with a rapier, a long sword with a slender blade and elaborate hilt. The rapier and dagger combination was primarily designed for self-defence using fighting techniques developed in Italy that are the ancestors of modern fencing. The sixteenth-century rapier was both a slashing and stabbing weapon. Its accompanying dagger was used in the left hand for parrying and stabbing in close. The stiff slender blades of both were designed to pierce clothing rather than armour.

The raper and dagger were also male fashion accessories worn at court, in procession and about town. They projected an image of honour based on social standing and, if necessary, defended it in one-on-one combat. The private duel was one consequence of the development of the rapier and dagger. In this sense, it is the epitome of the new sense of self fostered by the Renaissance. It was an emblem of personal vanity that settled disputes privately.

The conservative English defence expert, George Silver, felt a noble heritage of purpose-made war blades, clubs, flails and maces had been sacrificed at the altar of fashion as swords and daggers became faddish civilian accessories. ‘We like degenerate sonnes, have forsaken our forefathers vertues with their weapons.’

Knives and daggers were also practical everyday tools attached to the belts of men of all ranks. A small sheath might contain several knives and tools for hunting, eating, personal grooming and self-defence. This set contains a bodkin, a needle-like device used in personal grooming and dressing. For the gentleman, the more expensive and elaborate dagger was a costume accessory.

Decorated daggers were not only lethal weapons but were works of art. They were part of the same aesthetic that produced decorated tapestries, furniture, silver and ceramics. This dagger and sheath are capped with silver mounts which are engraved with 'arabesques', stylised curling foliage reminiscent of Islamic ornament.

This dagger was probably once twinned with a rapier, a long sword with a slender blade and elaborate hilt. The rapier and dagger combination was primarily designed for self-defence using fighting techniques developed in Italy that are the ancestors of modern fencing. The sixteenth-century rapier was both a slashing and stabbing weapon. Its accompanying dagger was used in the left hand for parrying and stabbing in close. The stiff slender blades of both were designed to pierce clothing rather than armour.

The rapier and dagger were also male fashion accessories worn at court, in procession and about town. They projected an image of honour based on social standing and, if necessary, defended it in one-on-one combat.

Knives and daggers were also practical everyday tools attached to the belts of men of all ranks. A small sheath might contain several knives and tools for hunting, eating, personal grooming and self-defence. This set contains a bodkin, a needle-like device used in personal grooming and dressing. For the gentleman, the more expensive and elaborate dagger was a costume accessory.

Decorated daggers were not only lethal weapons but were works of art. They were part of the same aesthetic that produced decorated tapestries, furniture, silver and ceramics. This dagger and sheath are capped with silver mounts which are engraved with 'arabesques', stylised curling foliage reminiscent of Islamic ornament.

M.19-1966