Dagger Blade
Physical Object
1988.004.0002a
Nuestra Señora de Atocha (1622)
circa 1620
This dagger from the galleon Atocha was designed to be held in the left hand and used in combination with a rapier or sword, which was held in the right. This dagger has a stiff, double-edged, symmetrical, tapering steel blade, with sharp edges, and a fine point, all of which would have made it effective for stabbing and cutting. It has an iron swept hilt (1988.004.0002b), with closed ring guard, and a swirl-ribbed, ovoid iron pommel (1988.004.0002c); all of designs typical of the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Cross-hatched silver wire over a fluted wooden grip (1988.004.0002d) with two silver Turk's head knots at either end would have improved the user’s hold on the piece.