[Buttress with curl in front of handle].
| Format: | Physical Object |
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| Item Description: | A buttress, or ridger (or bouttoir or boutoir in French) was made from iron and was used to pare horse hooves before shoeing; often pictured in 18th century and earlier books on farriery. The handle is offset above the plane of the blade with a curve to allow room for the farrier's hand. Hand-forged; squared stem extends from blade with handle attached 5 cm from end, with squared decoration halfway between blade and handle; blade is 6.5 cm long and 8 cm wide with 1 cm turnup at sides, formed from stem, not riveted or welded, has egg-and-dart scalloping at back edge, front edge much worn; handle goes up from stem 6 cm then curves back into wooden handle, has added decorative full forward curl that goes back into wooden handle; wood is much degraded with some wormholes and has the appearance of waterlogged wood that has been preserved with PEG (polyethylene glycol). Niall Kenny, seller, description: It seems to be a rare early example, certainly 15th/16th century (and probably English) but I suspect it may be much earlier. The metal work is in good condition, but the wooden handle is very worn. |
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