Misericorde Dagger, Stiletto, French or Italian ca. 1550

Description

The misericorde (derived from the French word meaning “mercy”) was a long slender
dagger used to finish off a wounded knight or to exploit the weak spots in armor. This
example features a steel guard with openwork acanthus-form quillons; quillon block with
integral ferrule to accept the carved hollow horn grip. Curved steel pommel cap.
Slender 12″ armor-piercing blade with strong medial ridge running down both sides, with
fuller on either side of the ridge (forging flaw on one side). Horn grip showing small
cracks and insect damage, but does not detract from the piece. Overall length, 16-1/8″.