Cinquedea

The Cinquedea is a weapon that was developed in northern Italy and enjoyed a short period of popularity during the late 15th and early 16th centuries. It comes in lengths from a dagger to a long short sword.

My cinquedea's blade is based on an original sold in an auction. Handle and decoration are modelled after an original now in the Met Museum and the sheath is done after an original depicted in L.G. Boccia, E.T. Coelho, Armi bianche italiane, Milano 1975.

The blade and the raw form of the guard come from Jürgen Grassler, the rest I built myself from scratch more or less. I guess I spent some 80 - 100 hours on this altogether. Lots of techniques and learning involved, challenging and good fun. And, more importantly, I really like the result.

• L.G. Boccia, E.T. Coelho, Armi bianche italiane, Milano 1975