[Dan D'Silva]

Last year I bought a Tod Cutler Bruegel messer from John Dunn. It should be a simple matter to make a belt for it, but I've been looking at Bruegel's paintings and the way he shows these blades being worn strikes me as a little odd. Most often there is a belt going through the back of the scabbard, for which the production model has a pair of slits in the scabbard's outer layer of leather. The belt appears to be worn loose so the side with the messer hangs low, presumably for ease of movement and comfort.

I've tried this, and it seems to me that when the belt is loose enough for the messer to sit low, it's also loose enough to eventually settle around my butt with continued walking, sitting, etc. unless it's somehow fixed to the opposite side.

So is this something that people in the 16th century just put up with? Is Bruegel using artistic license -- maybe the belt wasn't that loose, or the strap holding the sword up was attached to another, tighter belt strap that he didn't illustrate? Or is there something I'm missing?

[Victor R.]

Two suggestions for this particular version: 1) the belt is more snug around the hips than the illustration suggests or, 2) the messer belt actually loops through (or is otherwise affixed to) a waist belt under the top most garment, and that belt also carries the purse, and possibly a small utility/eating knife often seen in other illustrations. Many illustrations I noted from the front show the top garment is a bit open and could allow the belt to pass through. While not precisely this, something akin to the second suggestion can be seen in the illustration below.

You can also see certain figures wearing a baldric in many illustrations. It is my understanding that this was another method that would have been used at the time - what may slide down the waist should slide off the shoulder.