MEDIEVAL MOUNT

1400

An incomplete Medieval decorative bone dagger terminal, probably dating to the 15th century. The object is formed from the long bone of a large animal, probably a cow. It is sub rectangular in shape, flaring from the top to the bottom, and is slightly curved. The object would have fitted at the end of a scale-tang dagger to form a decorative terminal. Based on the curvature of the object, this would have been a particularly large dagger. It has been sheered at one edge so that the entirety of the decoration is no longer visible.The object is decorated on one side with an engraved linear border running around the edge. The engraving depicts a soldier standing left, holding a sword in his right hand. The sword is clearly a Medieval type, with large round pommel and large rectangular hand-guard. There is also a tree and bush in the background. Hazel Forsyth comments that the clothing appears to be indicative of 15th century German or Low countires military attire. Hazel Forsyth also comments that the size of the object would suggest it was perhaps part of a carving knife. Dimensions: length: 40.52 mm; width: 28.40 mm; thickness: 5.70 mm; weight: 3.51g.Identification by Hazel Forsyth, Senior Post Medieval Curator, Museum of London.