Basilard

In addition to functioning as essential military side arms, daggers were worn by all classes of society as a part of everyday dress in medieval and Renaissance Europe. They were used as tools, as eating utensils, and as a ready means of self-defense. Daggers were generally carried in a sheath at the belt and varied greatly in size. The amount and type of decoration displayed on a dagger depended entirely upon the taste and means of its owner. Few, however, exhibit images as elaborate and detailed as the Old Testament subjects that adorn the carved wood grip of this example. The old Testament was adapted by early Christians from the Tanakh, the most sacred teachings of Judaism, to provide the scriptural foundation for the advent of Jesus Christ as told in the New Testament. The events and characters of the New Testament are seen in the Christian tradition as the divinely ordained culmination and fulfillment of the Hebrew scriptures. Therefore, figures and scenes from both testaments often occur in the decoration of weapons such as this dagger.

The figure at the center of this hilt is the young Israelite hero David, who holds the head of the giant Goliath in his left hand and Goliath's sword in his right. David's nudity––he is unclothed save for a cloak draped across his chest and one shoulder––symbolizes his youth and innocence at the time of his single combat with Goliath, the champion of the Philistine army. The climax of their fight is recounted in the Old Testament: "As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground... David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine's sword and drew it from the scabbard. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword" (1 Samuel 17:48–49, 51). This story of a boy armed only with a sling defeating a giant warrior came to stand for Christianity triumphing against great odds through the power of faith. David also represents an important link between the Old and New Testaments, for he is a direct ancestor of Jesus in the genealogy outlined in the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 1:1–17). Like David, the lion's head and the rams' heads at the base of the hilt are symbols of strength and courage.