Author Archives: Bill Grandy

This small hand mirror was made by polishing bronze to a high finish and making a wooden casing for it. The client asked for the decoration to be something whimsical and medieval looking, but otherwise gave me free reign to do decorate it however I wanted. I took inspiration from a corbel carving that I’dContinue reading “Dancing Pig Mirror”

The dagger of the original is quite different, and therefore an exact replica of the sheath would have seemed strange, but the aesthetic themes of the original are represented so as to make this modern one feel more historical. The sheath has a wooden core wrapped in leather. The ballock dagger is made by JohansenContinue reading “Ballock Dagger Sheath”

A scabbard for a training dagger. The dagger was a custom piece I commissioned from the always amazing Davis Reproductions. I wanted it for armored HEMA fencing, and because of this it has a blunt blade and a very large blunted point for safety. The scabbard had to be large enough to accommodate the safetyContinue reading “Georgius Dagger Scabbard”

The client of this scabbard asked for his personal arms to be displayed, which consisted of two linden trees, and the rest of the decorations have the heart shaped linden leaves displayed. I also did a new leather grip wrap with a matching motif. I even made the scabbard core out of basswood, which isContinue reading “Linden Tree Scabbard”

One of the greatest mysteries of mankind is how people managed to get by for so many centuries before deciding to invent pockets. Throughout history purses like this were worn on the belt to carry one’s belongings. This late medieval one has one large and two small compartments for the wearer’s needs. Made of vegContinue reading “Floral Medieval Purse”

Sounding horns in the medieval era were often times lavishly decorated and carved, sometimes with hunting or war imagery, particularly if associated with mythological beasts. Decorations helped distinguish a person of rank. I carved and polished this out of a discarded buffalo horn using decorations that mimic 15th century motifs. The distinctive and very loudContinue reading “Blowing Horn”

“Georgius” is the Latinized name of St George, and the image used on this scabbard was copied from a woodblock print in the Nuremburg Chronicle of 1493. I hand filed the brass locket above George’s image with a fleur de lis trim and a heart, the type of decoration common on Gothic armor of thatContinue reading “Georgius Scabbard”

A scabbard for an Albion Liechtenauer. The decorations are from the client’s coat of arms. No chape on this one, which appears to have been far more common (at least in period art) than most modern people prefer. Leather wrapped over poplar core.

This sounding horn was made of a buffalo horn. I carved “notches” in the opening similar to surviving medieval examples, and carved vine patterns by the mouth. The carving was filled in with blue dye, and the leather straps are also dyed blue to match the owner’s personal colors. It has a baldric (not shown)Continue reading “Sounding Horn”

Barrel-shaped drinking costrels are seen in period art from at least the 14th century through the 18th with little variation to the basic design. Several leather artifacts have survived from these different eras. This replica is based off of those designs and was waterproofed inside and out with a heavy coating of beeswax. The stopperContinue reading “Soldier’s Costrel”