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Dagger

late 15th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 307
During the Middle Ages and Renaissance, most men and women wore a small knife in a sheath as part of their daily dress and used it as an all-purpose eating utensil and tool. The size this knife, more properly called a dagger, the shape of its hilt, and the presence of a perpendicular ring guard at the base of the hilt, indicate that it was intended primarily as a weapon, both for offense and defense, rather than a utensil. Daggers of this type were used across western Europe from the late fifteenth century to the mid-sixteenth century.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Dagger
  • Date: late 15th century
  • Culture: French
  • Medium: Steel, bronze, bone
  • Dimensions: L. 13 9/16 in. (34.5 cm); W. 1 3/4 in. (4.5 cm); D. 1 1/4 in. (3.2 cm)
  • 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: 26.145.43
  • Curatorial Department: Arms and Armor

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