[Hugh Fuller]

Last June, Tinker Pearce posted a cinquedea for sale. Now, I generally am not interested in blades from periods after 1066, but I was sent into lust over this item. It may have been the fullers , but it may well also have been the carving on the hilt. I have other examples of Tinker's carving and he does superb work. But whatever it was, I have been carrying on an internal debate over that cinquedea ever since. Last evening, Tinker and I came to a meeting of the minds on it and I sent him the money. He emailed me that the ciquedea should be on its way to me by this evening. Oh joy! Oh bliss!

The specs are remarkably similar to some of my Bowie Knives in many ways. The blade is 13 3/4" (35cm) long with the COG at the base of the blade which is 2 7/8" (530mm) wide. The hilt is 6 5/8" (16.83cm) long. The total weight is 1.5 pounds (.68 kg). Given these specs, my guess is that the cinquedea was used rather like the much later Bowie Knife. It appears that it would be a very good cut and thrust weapon and it would appear that it would deliver a wicked back cut in proper hands.

My reading of history shows that they were carried by the young bravos during the Italian Renaissance (think Romeo, Mercutio, Tybalt, and friends from Shakespeare's play, "Romeo and Juliet") in a small of the back scabbard and were used in the street brawls that regularly broke out between rival families. I will be reporting further on it when I have received it and have had a chance to play with it a bit.

[Gary A. Chelette]

Very nice, congratz!

The work looks amazing! did you have any additions you wanted on it?

[Hugh Fuller]

No, I am buying just as Tinker made it. The only changes that I might, and I say "might," make would be to have Triton make a period correct scabbard and suspension for it. Tinker sends it with a leater scabbard with a reinforced tip.

[Robin Smith]

Very nice... Do you have a pic of what one the correct scabbards would have looked like?

[Michal Plezia]

It has very nice grip

[Hugh Fuller]

No, that is why I am saying "might" as I need to consult with Russ about that, among other matters. As I said, the Italian Renaissance is not really my area of expertise.

[Sam Barris]

Wow. That's really beautiful. You're lucky you saw it first.

[John Cooksey]

I have always loved Tinker's cinquedeas. Lovely, brutal little nasties . . . .
Congratulations on a very fine acquisition!

[Russ Ellis]

[Sean Flynt]

Here's another:

[Greg Griggs]

Very pretty. Congrats on a unique and wicked looking little blade.

[Dan P]

Thats a very nice fighting piece! Wide blades like that are so cool, especially when someone like Tinker Pearce goes crazy on the fullers.

[Russ Ellis]

[George Hill]

I think I held this piece or one very like it at the last Altanta Blade show. It was a very nice little monster.

[Nathan Robinson]

There are many examples of cinquedea and related scabbards in Armi Bianche Italiane. I'd scan and post them, but I don't have any free time at all now days to do this.

Anyway, I'm thrilled to see that cinquedea has gone to a good home. I've always found it pleasing and wondered why it was available for as long as it was. I had often thought about purchasing it myself but invariably found that it does not represent antiques as much as I would have wanted it to. I do, however, find it to be very appealing and still had found myself often going to look at it!

[Hugh Fuller]

Nathan, that is kind of my view of it, gorgeous but of limited historical provenance, if you follow me. The carving looks rather more Celtic or Norse than Italian, for instance. But that period is not my period of interest, mine is Late Roman to 1066 in Northwest Europe, so that something like that cinquedea can be appreciated for the work of art that it is. Besides, can you see me trying to convince a judge at the Jamestown Marching Through Time timeline event that the blade really would be valid in an Anglo-Saxon shield wall?

[Jim Mearkle]

[Hugh Fuller]

The cinquedea arrived last night and it is all that I had expected it to be. Tinker's work is simply exquisite. The carving on the oval grip is of interlaced vines and not the Celtic or Norse style of interlace that I had initially thought it to be. It is actually more in keeping with the historical time and place of use of cinquedeas during the Italian Renassiance as well as providing a great texturing for a more secure grip.

The six fullers on each side of the blade are very uniform and neatly done. The grind lines are straight and true and the fittings are all tight with no play. The balance is interesting to me as my only frame of reference for a large bladed knife is the Bowie and all Bowies that I have felt have a bias toward the blade, but this cinquedea has a very slight bias toward the hilt, with the balance point falling just at the rear of the guard. Does anyone know if this is common to cinquedeas? It would seem to interfere with the weapon's ability to slice and/or cut as a price for its extreme mobility. And Tinker's cinquedea has that extreme mobility. I cannot say that it is exactly light in the hand but I can say that it is a very, very quick weapon.

[Bruno Giordan]

[Hugh Fuller]

Bruno, what I had in mind when I used the term, "brawl," was the sort of street fighting that occurred between the adherents of rival families and/or factions within the various city states, as in the Medicis vs. the Pazzis in Florence. These were the basis for Shakespeare's play, "Romeo and Juliet," remembering that Shakespeare, or whoever (), was writing less than 100 years after that.