Medieval Iron Knife with Bronze Pommel

Circa 1500 A.D. Comprising a single cutting edge; scale tang with bifacial pommel engraved with a stylised rayed sun or flowerhead motif. Cf. Marquardt, K., Eight Centuries of European Knives, Forks and Spoons: an Art Collection, Europe, 1997, pp.28-31, for similar.37 grams, 19 cm (7 1/2 in.). Acquired 1960s-1990s. Late Alison Barker collection, a retired London barrister. The basic elements of any medieval knife were the blade, the tang and the handle. The junction of blade and tang is termed the shoulder, its shape varying according to the position of the tang on the blade.