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The ballock knife, also referred to as a kidney dagger, was widely used in the later Middle Ages, in both civilian and military contexts. In Talhoffer's Fechtbuch it is shown in use by armored combatants to deliver a coup de grâce, and in the section devoted to unarmored knife fighting.
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Title: Ballock Knife
Date: late 15th century
Culture: possibly French or German
Medium: Steel, wood, lead
Dimensions: L. 14 5/16 in. (36.3 cm); L. of blade 9 5/16 in. (23.7 cm); W. 2 in. (5.1 cm); W. of blade 13/16 in. (2.1 cm); thickness of blade 7/16 in. (1.1 cm); Wt. 8 oz. (226.8 g)
Classification: Daggers
Credit Line: Gift of Jean Jacques Reubell, in memory of his mother, Julia C. Coster, and of his wife, Adeline E. Post, both of New York City, 1926
Object Number: 26.145.10
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