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An Extremely Rare Sword ('Grosse-Messer' Or 'Kriegsmesser') Austrian, Late 15th Century image 1
An Extremely Rare Sword ('Grosse-Messer' Or 'Kriegsmesser') Austrian, Late 15th Century image 2
An Extremely Rare Sword ('Grosse-Messer' Or 'Kriegsmesser') Austrian, Late 15th Century image 3
Lot 106

An Extremely Rare Sword ('Grosse-Messer' Or 'Kriegsmesser')
Austrian, Late 15th Century

27 November 2003, 14:00 GMT
London, Knightsbridge

Sold for £24,675 inc. premium

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An Extremely Rare Sword ('Grosse-Messer' Or 'Kriegsmesser')

Austrian, Late 15th Century With long broad falchion-like blade double-edged at the point, cut with a narrow fuller over most of its length along the back-edge and struck with a mark on one side, iron hilt comprising straight quillons of tapering circular section each with a double turn at the ends, upturned fluted side-guard of fishtail form riveted through the pointed quillon-block, beak-shaped pommel widely fluted on each side, and long slightly curved grip fluted en suite and covered with velum (light rust patination overall)

Footnotes

The best-known sword of this type is the one made for the Emperor Maximilian by Hans Sumersperger of Hall in the Tyrol in 1496. Similar swords called Kriegsmesser are depicted being carried by swordsmen in Hans Burgkmair's famous woodcut series The Triumph of Maximilian, published about 1515, No. 38 (see back cover illustration) and seem to have been used by the Imperial guard in Vienna under the Emperors Frederick III and Maximilian I. For more information see O. Gamber, Die Mittelalterlichen Blankwaffen der Wiener Waffensammlung, Jahrbuch der Kunsthistorischen Sammlungen In Wien, vol. 57, 1961, pp. 30-33. For a very similar sword struck with the same mark see Lionello G. Boccia and Eduardo T. Coelho, Armi Bianche Italiane, 1975, No. 134 (illustrated), p. 340

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