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Davis Reproductions Ballock Dagger
Original: French or Flemish, 15th century

The ballock dagger's hilt is as practical as it is provocative, with the "lobes" providing a means of stopping the hand from sliding onto the blade during a thrust. A form that was popular for centuries, it has seen many variations to its construction and decoration. In a time where religion ruled much of Europe, some daggers of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, including ballock daggers, featured religious decorations. One such piece, housed in Paris' Musée de l'Armée, has a pommel cap of a copper alloy decorated with an image of the crowned Virgin Mary, holding an infant Christ. That pommel cap served as the basic inspiration for this piece, and is combined with a grip and blade more typical of the time and not an exact copy of the original 15th century dagger's features. To make a set, a by-knife was created.

On both the dagger and by-knife, Josh Davis paired bronze with wood. The pommel cap of the dagger features the image of Virgin and child, while the pommel cap of the by-knife has a gothic "C". Both pieces have sharp steel blades.

The knife and dagger are housed in a wood-cored scabbard covered with green leather. The leather has been intricately tooled with floral motifs and patterns of lines. A leather loop on the back will secure it to a belt.

See our hands-on review for more information on this dagger.

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