* cinquedea dagger - Lot 33

Lot n° 33
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Estimation :
35000 - 55000 EUR
Result with fees
Result : 72 531EUR
* cinquedea dagger - Lot 33
* cinquedea dagger Ferrara, decorated blade by Ercole dei Fedeli, c. 1500. L. 32 cm Cinquedea dagger Ferrara, Blade decorated by Ercole dei Fedeli, c. 1500. L. 32 5/8 in 768 CH Cinquedea dagger, with triangular blade with strong central edge, originally blued or burnished with a blacksmith's stamp on each side (grenade?). On each side, the heel of the blade is adorned with a design, the left side of which is acid-etched and gilded in full, while the right side is treated with a technique consisting of scraping a gilded background to reveal the motifs in reserve. On one side, the engraved decoration shows Orpheus playing the viol, with naked Eurydice clinging to his arm as they attempt to ascend from the Underworld, and the gilded decoration on the left depicts a heart pierced by an arrow, surrounded by foliage and large oriental scrolls. On the other side of the blade, the engraved decoration shows a woman next to a man impaled on his sword (Tecmessa uncovering Ajax's body?), while the gold motif on the left has almost entirely disappeared. Iron quillons curved downwards. Gilt bronze handle and pommel enclosed by two elephant ivory plates, pierced by four holes filled with openwork brass rosettes or gold batons that held gemstone cabochons (no longer present). On the sides of the gilded bronze tang, visible between the two ivory plates, are the Latin inscriptions AUDACES FORTUNA IV(at) (fortune smiles on the bold) and AUXILIUM A SUP(era) (help from above). The decoration on the blade is in the style of the artist Ercole dei Fedeli, a silversmith and engraver active at the court of Ferrara around 1500, specializing in the decoration of sword and dagger blades. His work can be seen on a sword in the Musée de Cluny (CL 11811) and on a large cinquedea in the Museo Sibbert in Florence (inv. 3593). Another cinquedea from the same workshop, featuring the same Latin quotations and decoration also attributable to Fedeli, recently sold in London (Olympia Auctions, December 4, 2024, no. 114). Ivory cracked on both sides, gold cabochon holder missing in the lower hole of the handle. Missing gems. Worn gilding and part of the blade decoration. CIC certificate dated 29/01/2025 Translation at the end of the catalog
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