Skip to main content

Ballock dagger: HEN.M.302-1933

An image of Ballock dagger

Terms of use

These images are provided for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons License (BY-NC-ND). To license a high resolution version, please contact our image library who will discuss fees, terms and waivers.

Download this image

Creative commons explained - what it means, how you can use our's and other people's content.

Alternative views

Object information

Current Location: Gallery 31 (Armoury)

Maker(s)

Unknown

Entities

Categories

Description

Dagger of Balloak form, the hilt of wood. No pommel or cap, just rounded at the top. Very phallic in shape. The lobes are furnished with a deep ferrule of steel, with latten inserts, between them and the top of the blade, which is of very stout, back-edged triangular section, the faces hollowed.

Legal notes

J.S. Henderson Bequest

Measurements and weight

Length: 37.5 cm

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1933-03-16) by Henderson, James Stewart

Dating

15th Century#
Circa 1450 - 1500

Note

The grip does not belong: a restoration.

This type of dagger was common throughout Europe in the 15th century. They have a very sturdy blade of triangular shape, ideal for stabbing. The name comes from the form of the hilt which was thought to imitate male anatomy.

Western European, perhaps English or Flemish

Components of the work

Hilt composed of wood (plant material) Length 12.5 cm
Blade, Lobes composed of steel
Blade Length 25.5 cm
Steel

Identification numbers

Accession number: HEN.M.302-1933
Primary reference Number: 19168
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Tuesday 20 April 2021 Last processed: Thursday 7 December 2023

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Ballock dagger" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/19168 Accessed: 2024-11-08 18:10:29

Citation for Wikipedia

To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:

{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/19168 |title=Ballock dagger |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-08 18:10:29|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

API call for this record

To call these data via our API (remember this needs to be authenticated) you can use this code snippet:

https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/api/v1/objects/object-19168

Bootstrap HTML code for reuse

To use this as a simple code embed, copy this string:

<div class="text-center">
    <figure class="figure">
        <img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/aa/aa25/HEN_M_302_1933_281_29.jpg"
        alt="Ballock dagger"
        class="img-fluid" />
        <figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Ballock dagger</figcaption>
    </figure>
</div>
    

Sign up for updates

Updates about future exhibitions and displays, family activities, virtual events & news. You'll be the first to know...