Left-Hand Parrying Dagger, Circa 1530

Title

Left-Hand Parrying Dagger, Circa 1530

Subject

Spanish weapons; Left-hand daggers; Archaeological finds; New Mexico artifacts; 16th century arms; Parrying daggers; Coronado expedition

Description

This excavated Left-Hand Spanish Parrying Dagger was reportedly found near the Rio Grande river in New Mexico. It may date from exploration of the area by Coronado 1540-1542. The 5 inch hilt has a large scent-stopper shaped pommel, a curved cross-guard (quillon) and a side ring guard (anneau) fitted with an openwork metal plate. The previous owner stabilized the side ring plate using solder. The 13 3/4 inch needle-point blade has two grooves (fullers) on each side.

Creator

Unknown craftsperson, Spanish

Source

(1) The Journey of Coronado, 1540-1542
by Pedro de Castaneda de Nagera, Antonio de Mendoza, and Juan Camilo Jaramillo

(2) Blades of the Conquistadors
The Jack Williams Collection, American Digger Magazine, Nov-Dec 2006

Publisher

weaponscollector.com

Date

circa 1530

Contributor

Frederick Eugene Williams III (known as Jack Williams), Collector

Rights

© weaponscollector.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0). Attribution required: "From the F.E. Williams III Collection at weaponscollector.com

Relation

The F.E. Williams III Collection of Antique Firearms

Format

image/jpeg

Language

United States English

Type

Still Images; Artifact Documentation

Identifier

111-0067

Coverage

Temporal: 16th Century
Spatial: Rio Grande, New Mexico

Overall Length

18 3/4 inches

Overall Width

8 1/4 inches

Hilt Length

5 inches

Hilt Material

Missing

Blade Material

Steel

Blade Length

13 3/4 inches

Weight

1 lb 4/4 oz

Condition

Excavated

Conservation Notes

Side ring plate stabilized with solder

Provenance

Found near Rio Grande, New Mexico