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Swiss Dagger
unknown, Nurembergc. 1540-50
Renaissance and Reformation. German Art in the Age of Dürer and Cranach
The design and decoration of this magnificent dagger is based on the Swiss dagger, a type of weapon that derived from those of the Swiss Landsknechte (mercenaries). The artful openwork and gilding of the silver fitting on the sheath depict scenes from the story of Saul (Book of Samuel): on the left, Saul is falling on his sword to avoid falling into the hands of the Philistines; on the right, David is receiving Saul’s crown from a kneeling messenger.
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Details
- Title: Swiss Dagger
- Creator: unknown, Nuremberg
- Date Created: c. 1540-50
- Physical Dimensions: L: 31.7 cm, L (blade): 21.6 cm, Wt: 176 g, L (sheath): 23.9 cm, Wt: 235 g
- Technique and Material: Double-edged blade, rhomboid in cross section; marks: stamped, partially gilded; jasper, cut and polished; mounts: silver, partially cast, partially embossed; sheath: wood, leather, plate, silver, partially openwork, chased, gilded
- Provenance: Rüstkammer, inventory in 1567 (lost since 1945); Rüstkammer, inventory of the Türkenkammer in 1674
- Museum: Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Rüstkammer
- Inv.-No.: pp. 205
- ISIL-No.: DE-MUS-845714
- External Link: http://www.skd.museum/de/museen-institutionen/residenzschloss/ruestkammer/
- Copyright: Photo © Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Rüstkammer/ Jürgen Karpinski; Text © Renaissance and Reformation: German Art in the Age of Dürer and Cranach, A Cooperation of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, and the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen München, Catalogue of the Exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Nov 20, 2016 – March 26, 2017, Munich: Prestel, 2016; cat. no. 56 / Jutta Charlotte von Bloh
- Catalogue: https://prestelpublishing.randomhouse.de/book/Renaissance-and-Reformation/Stephanie-Buck/Prestel-com/e504919.rhd
- Artist Dates: unknown
- Artist Biography: unknown
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