The larger has a 22"/55cm long blade and the rather odd clipped point. The blade starts at 1/4"/6mm thick and drops rapidly from there over the first 3"/75mm and then tapers fairly steadily to the tip. It has a slight convex grind to add body.
The scales are box and the rivets are copper.
In Bruegel paintings the mess is always slung from a baldric so I went for that option here, leaving the whole weapon and harness as a lower status piece.
The second messer I made to scratch an itch and was available, but is now sold. It has a 16"/50cm blade, also from 1/4"/6mm stock but it is left more as a chopping knife and so the blade is a bit thicker overall and has a heavier convex grind to make it more robust.
It is also hung on a baldric and both knife sheathes house a simple knife and pricker set in keeping with the peasant (ish) nature of the pieces.
This second piece is more in keeping with the size shown by Bruegel.
I have always loved these short swords/long knives and it was a real pleasure to have a go at making a couple once again. I last visited this type of knife around 12 years ago and my skills have come on a bit since then and I am really pleased with how these have turned out. I think part of the attraction for me is that they always seem to be worn by tough peasant types who look like they have had a good hard look at life and grabbed it by the horns. And for those of you out there who do not know Pieter Bruegel work, the detail of daily peasant life is stunning and very well worth a look.
Since sharing the pictures with the client we have decided to ditch the Bruegel style baldric and go for a more conventional sword belt
Attachment: 102.53 KB
Attachment: 110.31 KB
Attachment: 69.25 KB
Attachment: 88.24 KB
Attachment: 93.7 KB
Attachment: 136.27 KB
Attachment: 93.98 KB
Attachment: 175.98 KB
Attachment: 106.09 KB