Large Shell Hunting Dagger "almarada" Spain 18th

This strange weapon might at first seem like a 19th century fantasy. This is not the case, and it is a rare example of an “Almarada” with a shell guard. The almarada, used between the 16th and 18th centuries in Spain, was a dagger intended to strike almost exclusively with thrust, and generally unedged, although some single-edged models exist.
Usually they lack a real guard. This is usually replaced by some sort of button on one side only. The handles are made of wood for the simplest, but gradually, when the use of this type of weapon was mainly used in hunting to deliver the final blow to large game (deer, roe deer, wild boar, etc.) handles were made of iron or antler. You can see on the photo 2 others exemples of classical almaradas.
From the end of the 17th century, the use of this type of weapon, except by assassins (hence its name "rufian daga") was mainly used by nobles for venery. The model that we present responds to this use of "hunting dagger" with a non-edged diamond-shaped blade, the very large ricasso of which is guilloché with notches to allow a grip by the second hand in order to reinforce the power of the blow towards the heart of the animal.
The guard shell is a rarity, intended to protect the hunter's hand against a blow or a bite from the dying animal. This shell may also prevent blood splashes, but this is not its main role. The solid iron handle has a rounded brass pommel, of the same diameter as the main part, which is intended to firmly support the user's palm.
BLADE: after a long ricasso with guilloché edges, it takes a diamond shape. Traces of oxidation at the tip. Length of the blade = 54 cm including 13 cm of ricasso, Width at the ricasso = 2 cm, thickness at the ricasso = 7.4 mm
GUARD: large bivalve shell in the shape of a scallop shell (remember that Santiago the Greater is the patron saint of Spain ) Large straight quillons, guilloché and ending in the shape of an acorn.
GRIP : it is made of iron, cylindrical, soberly decorated and finished with a brass pommel with rounded corners which represents a 4-leaf clover. This hunting weapon is very rare and very much in the Hispanic tradition of the 17th and 18th centuries.
Shipping costs with insurance France €20, Europe €30
Ref AX-2336