Page:A record of European armour and arms through seven centuries (Volume 3).djvu/55

 enriched daggers that from their form come almost under the heading of the basilard type should here be mentioned; these by virtue of their decoration possibly belong to the first half of the XIVth century. The first (Fig. 753) is the important dagger and sheath in the Victoria and Albert Museum. It was purchased in 1866 for £140. The grip which forms the entire hilt is, like the scabbard, composed of ivory, probably walrus, carved in high relief with a grotesque ornamentation almost Romanesque in style. It has been accepted as North Italian, and possibly of as early a date as the first quarter of the XIVth century. The second dagger illustrated (Fig. 754) may be of somewhat later date, and France rather than Italy seems to be the country of its manufacture. The hilt is grotesquely formed of four figures placed back to back and feet to feet, the space between the bend of their knees being occupied by a bearded mask. The sheath is of metal inlaid with plaques of bone or ivory. To the dagger are still attached portions of the belt decorated with a metal chape. This weapon we are inclined to think dates within the third quarter of the XIVth century. It is now in the Hermitage, Petrograd. The third dagger (Fig. 755) is in the collection of Dr. Bashford Dean of New York. The hilt, which, like that of the other two daggers, is composed entirely of ivory, is carved in the highest relief to represent a dragon-like creature, almost oriental in style. On the pommel is the crouching figure of a mythical monster. There can be little doubt that this fine hilt is Venetian, and might well be assigned to the early years of the XIVth century. The blade, which is of flattened diamond-shaped section tapering to an acute point, is modern, and is copied from those of the two preceding daggers.

There are varieties of daggers extant that we are unable to class under any particular heading; but of these perhaps a few may be said to bear some kind of resemblance to one another. In the British Museum is a fragment of a dagger found in London, which has the pommel formed of an octagonal disk so pierced in the centre as to be actually an open ring. This was forged from the flattened tang of the blade to which was applied the substance of the grip. Down either side runs a decorated strip of brass or latten, while the junction with the blade is marked by a moulded band. The blade is back-edged (Fig. 756). The fragment of just such another dagger, but originally profusely decorated with polychromatic champlevé enamels, was recently found at Duston, near Northampton. It is worthy of the closest scrutiny, for it is assuredly English, and must have originally been a weapon of sumptuous richness. Its date is within the second half of the XIVth