I have been working on this piece for a customer and it is finally ready.
I was sent a quite strict set of requirements along with a portrait of a North Italian gentleman wearing a dagger and I needed to develop it into a real object and fit it with my customers requirements and this is the result.
Rondels seem to come in blade lengths from 16 or 17" all the way down to 8" or so and often this late 15th style with thick top rondels has relatively short blades. This one included.
The blade is single edged with a reinforced point on one face only, the front rondel is made from two hollow discs, sanwiching a wire wrap detail. The handle is a walnut barley twist that has been oiled and polished and the top rondel is a hollow fabrication.
The scabbard is wood cored; a leather scabbard would not work for the cup design shown and the cup has the leather bonded on and the scabbard has the leather sewn. The thin leather required for bonding would not take the embossing required for the eagle etc.
The decoration was carved in to create a relief and the scabbard dyed and the detail painted in.
The chape along with all the other metal fittings were gilded.
Generally I am not so keen on medieval bling, but I really like this one and I hope you do too.
Tod
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