CURIOSITY. Rare and luxurious presentation dagger in honour of William Shakespeare circa 1810. Gilt bronze mounting, pommel chased in the shape of an eagle's head, inverted quillon cruciform in the shape of an acanthus leaf, one end of which terminates in a flower bud, ivory handle inlaid with gilt fillets and nails forming a diamond-shaped lattice, flat, straight blade with rounded tip, entirely blued and engraved in fine gold on one side with foliage, a figure in a wig (possibly John Philip Kemble, one of the best-known interpreters of Hamlet at the time), a skull and crossbones, a chalice and daggers, then a snake coiling around a torch, Finally, a figure holding a dagger in each hand and two masks symbolising the theatre (comedy and tragedy); on the other side, foliage and a royal crown; underneath, a portrait of William Shakespeare (1564-1616); and finally, a woman holding a dagger and a cup, Lady Macbeth from the play of the same name, An oval cartouche is engraved with the maker "WOOLEY, DEAKIN, DUTTON & JONHSON, LONDON", leather scabbard with two gilded brass fittings, chased marine monster on the chape, chased scrolls on the bouterolle, chased chape knob. L: 51 cm, blade: 39 cm. Circa 1810. Slight wear to the bluing of the blade, oxidation stains, small chips, a few nails missing from the fuse, small chips to the ivory. ABE This dagger is associated with the world of theatre, and with Shakespeare in particular, through its depiction of the famous author and the characters or symbols of some of his best-known works, such as Macbeth and Hamlet. Although Lady Macbeth is clearly represented, there are also many evocations of Hamlet, such as the king's crown, the skull, which evokes Act V, Scene 1, when Hamlet discovers the skull of Yorick, the former court jester, in the cemetery, the figure holding a dagger in each hand may evoke Macbeth himself in the scene of King Duncan's murder, or Hamlet in his duel with Laërte. Finally, the portrait of the wigged man may evoke a famous performer of the period to whom this dagger may have been given: John Philip Kemble (1757-1823), a contemporary of the dagger, seems a possible hypothesis in view of the period portraits and his fame as Hamlet. The buyer will be issued with an Intra-Community Certificate FR2303300111-K by the DREAL dated 10/05/2023, valid throughout the European Union.