Ballock Dagger
- Artist Culture
- European
- Date
- second half 15th century
- Material
- Steel, wood, and brass
- made in
- Europe
- Classification
- Arms & armor, metalwork
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 138
- Dimensions
- 16 1/8 x 1 1/2 in. (41 x 3.8 cm)
weight: 5 oz. (0.1 kg) - Credit Line
- Museum Purchase
- Rights
- Contact Us
- Object Number
- 83:1939
NOTES
Thin-bladed daggers like this were handy for self-defense in the unsafe towns and cities of medieval Europe. This particular style of dagger with its straight handle and lobed guard was often suggestively placed at the center of the man's waist.
Provenance
- 1903
Franz Thill (d.1903), Vienna, Austria
1904 -
Samuel J. Whawell (1857-1926), Eastbourne, England, acquired from the heirs of Franz Thill [1]
by 1919 -
Sir Guy F. Laking (1875-1919), London, England [2]
- 1924
Henry Griffith Keasbey, USA, sold at auction "Important Collection of European Arms and Armor from XI to XVII century Formed by and Belonging to Henry Griffith Keasbey," American Art Association, New York, NY, December 6, 1924, lot 185, plate XIX. [3]
- 1939
Clarence H. Mackay (1874-1938), Roslyn, Long Island, New York, NY
1939 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from the estate of Clarence H. Mackay, through Jacques Seligmann & Co., Inc., New York, NY [4]
Notes:
The majority of the provenance for this object has been provided in notes prepared by scholar Walter J. Karcheski Jr. Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted [SLAM document files].
[1] According to scholar Stuart Phyrr's 1994 article, Whawell entered into protracted negotiations with heirs of the Franz Thill collection and was finally able to secure ownership of the dagger in 1904 [Phyrr, Stuart. "S.J. Whawell and the Art Market," published in "The Eleventh Park Lane Arms Fair." London: D. A. Oliver, 1994] [SLAM document files].
[2] Both, a publication featuring Sir Francis Guy Laking's collection in 1920 and the 1924 Keasbey auction catalogue, confirm that 83:1939 was in the collection of Sir Guy Francis Laking. [Laking, Sir Francis Guy. "A Record of European Armour and Arms through Seven Centuries." London: G. Bell and Sons, 1920-22, vol. III, pg. 38, fig. 809; and "Important Collection of European Arms and Armor from XI to XVII century Formed by and Belonging to Henry Griffith Keasbey," American Art Association, New York, NY, December 6, 1924, lot 185, plate XIX.]
[3] 83:1939 was in the Keasbey collection until it was entered at auction "Important Collection of European Arms and Armor from XI to XVII century Formed by and Belonging to Henry Griffith Keasbey" at the American Art Association in New York on December 6, 1924 as lot 185 [SLAM document files].
[4] Notes on the accession record and the Jacques Seligmann & Co., Inc. invoice indicate that the dagger was part of the Clarence H. Mackay collection. The dagger is identified on the invoice as Seligmann No. H26 196 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, June 8, 1939.
Franz Thill (d.1903), Vienna, Austria
1904 -
Samuel J. Whawell (1857-1926), Eastbourne, England, acquired from the heirs of Franz Thill [1]
by 1919 -
Sir Guy F. Laking (1875-1919), London, England [2]
- 1924
Henry Griffith Keasbey, USA, sold at auction "Important Collection of European Arms and Armor from XI to XVII century Formed by and Belonging to Henry Griffith Keasbey," American Art Association, New York, NY, December 6, 1924, lot 185, plate XIX. [3]
- 1939
Clarence H. Mackay (1874-1938), Roslyn, Long Island, New York, NY
1939 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from the estate of Clarence H. Mackay, through Jacques Seligmann & Co., Inc., New York, NY [4]
Notes:
The majority of the provenance for this object has been provided in notes prepared by scholar Walter J. Karcheski Jr. Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted [SLAM document files].
[1] According to scholar Stuart Phyrr's 1994 article, Whawell entered into protracted negotiations with heirs of the Franz Thill collection and was finally able to secure ownership of the dagger in 1904 [Phyrr, Stuart. "S.J. Whawell and the Art Market," published in "The Eleventh Park Lane Arms Fair." London: D. A. Oliver, 1994] [SLAM document files].
[2] Both, a publication featuring Sir Francis Guy Laking's collection in 1920 and the 1924 Keasbey auction catalogue, confirm that 83:1939 was in the collection of Sir Guy Francis Laking. [Laking, Sir Francis Guy. "A Record of European Armour and Arms through Seven Centuries." London: G. Bell and Sons, 1920-22, vol. III, pg. 38, fig. 809; and "Important Collection of European Arms and Armor from XI to XVII century Formed by and Belonging to Henry Griffith Keasbey," American Art Association, New York, NY, December 6, 1924, lot 185, plate XIX.]
[3] 83:1939 was in the Keasbey collection until it was entered at auction "Important Collection of European Arms and Armor from XI to XVII century Formed by and Belonging to Henry Griffith Keasbey" at the American Art Association in New York on December 6, 1924 as lot 185 [SLAM document files].
[4] Notes on the accession record and the Jacques Seligmann & Co., Inc. invoice indicate that the dagger was part of the Clarence H. Mackay collection. The dagger is identified on the invoice as Seligmann No. H26 196 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, June 8, 1939.