Fine Landsknecht Swords in the Museo Storica della Caccia, Florence
 

They are preseved in the Museum of Hunting History.

From top:

A fine South German or Swiss hand-and-a-half sword, ca. 1540

A Venetian Landsknecht Sword, ca. 1510

A fine Venetian Storta, ca. 1500


Best,
Michael

auctioned at Thomasdelmar this Wednesday, lot 130.


Michael do you recognize the sword from your Photo's at the beginning of the thread? :)

A RARE SOUTH GERMAN BACKSWORD, SO-CALLED LANDSKNECHTMESSER, SECOND QUARTER OF THE 16TH CENTURY, PROBABLY MUNICH
with straight blade double-edged for the last third, cut with three long slender fullers on each face, stamped with the so-called 'twig' mark on one face, iron hilt comprising a pair of straight quillons with spirally-moulded knob-shaped terminals, shell-guard formed as a fire-steel and pierced with a central cross between two hearts, the front border roped and extending to a scrolling terminal on each side, finely carved ivory crutch-shaped pommel decorated with a female figure in contemporary dress on the top (cracked), a cherubic mask on the front, and scrolls on the reverse, wooden grip bound with fishskin and an early brass inventory tag
82.5cm; 32 1/2in blade

Provenance
Adrian Conan Doyle (as stated below)
Christie's King Street, 9th December 1998, lot 98

A sword with etched blade by Ambrosius Gemlich dated 1532 and with a pommel carved in the same style is preserved in the Museum fûr Deutsche Geschichte, Berlin. See H.Mûller and H. Kölling 1990, No. 157, p. 219. An almost identical guard on another Munich messer, also with an etched blade by Gemlich and dated 1533, is preserved in the Historisches Museum, Dresden. See H. Seitz 1965, Ill. 227.

Of course I did recognize the piece, Jasper,

I helped consigning it with Tom Del Mar. :)

Actually, your post was a bit quicker than mine; I was waiting for Tom's reluts before posting but it was only a few minutes ago that my browser would update and I could study the results list.

I was sold for GBP 7,800 ((lot 130).

Here's a bit more on the piece.

BTW, it's good the have you coming in again. I much missed your valuable comments and additions. ;)

Best,
Michael

Another similar Munich Landsknecht-Messer originally belonging to the Emperor Charles V, with similar style guard and calendar blade etched by Ambrosius Gemlich, Munich, and dated 1533 (the calendar ending in 1542, indicating that this costume sword was expected to be out of fashion within 10 years!). It is preserved in the Vienna Waffensammlung, inv.-no. A 429 (author's photos).

Best,
Michael

The following two items from the Karsten Klingbeil collection sold cheap at Brussels yesterday.
I've just been informed that they both went to a Swiss museum.

1. An early Swiss Landsknecht two-hand sword, ca. 1550.

Best,
Michael

2. An early 1530's (way earlier than the catalog stated) Swiss hand-and-a-half sword with fine marks and retaining its original grip binding and leather finely stitched with Gothic bow ornaments, also sold cheap.

Best,
Michael

The rest.

Hi Jasper,

I must ask: could it possibly be in your collection now? :cool: :eek:

Best,
Michael

Some more impressions of early 16th C. mercenaries swords and a horseman's hammer, late 16th.C., from the Hapsburg Imperial Vienna Arms and Armor collection preserved in the Hofburg.
Photos taken from www.forum.info. - with thanks to the authors!

Enjoy,
Michael

Hi Michael,

that is interesting, I have a similar 2hander, if this one is described under inv. 161.121 nr280(see last picture) it also has the same shield engraved in the blade!, with the characters S H, I don't know the meaning yet. maybe it stands for Hans Staentler.

best,

Nice item Jasper,

Although, being dated 1591, this is not really a Landsknecht sword any more but a bearing sword, most probably of Austrian origin.

Btw, I have never heard of a Hans Stantler - do you happen to have records on him?

Best,
Michael

Katzbalgers and two-hand Landsknecht swords, by Urs Graf, dated 1523 and 1524 repectively.

m

Some more period artwork.

The South Geman/Swiss motto Fryheit on the banner in the fourth image means Freedom.

m

Hi Michael,
there were still some Landsknecht upto the 17th century! seperately of the vatican-guard of course.
Hans Stantler was a swordcutler in the second half of the 16thC in Muenchen, probably the son of Wolfgang Stantler. (CF Ullstein)

best,

some more.

some more. I think we will have to delete some doublures.

some.

the last ones.

Good job, thank you!

The latter samples of period artwork you posted can actually be attributed to Jost Amman and the late 1550's.

m

Hi Michael,

yes that is correct, beautiful work of JA. also work of Wolgang Strauch Niklas Stoer, Hans Glaser, Albrecht Duerer, Erhart Schoen,Lucas Cranach.

I think this equipment can also be placed in this thread.

best,

Wow, what's that?

Yeah, what's that ? :confused:

Hi Michael, Hi Fernando,

Yes, that's absolutely not a silly question.
because of the organic material, leather and twisted willow tree wood, there are hardly any specimens preserved.

This stick was offered as an African magic wand at an antique dealer. It took a while before a friend of mine unexpectedly found a second copy in the German leather museum.
From that moment I noticed it on numerous landsknecht illustrations and found another (later) sample in an old book with the collection of Lorenz Sedan.

the pictures will explain what it is.

best,

Fantastic !
Congratulations for this unique item's property :cool:
Hey Muchl, you (also) wish you had one of these :D

Sure I wish to own one! ;)

Michl

Fröhliche Weihnachten
 

Here for your holiday enjoyment is this interesting little katzbalger from Bavaria. Armed with this I would be more than a match for the claws and fangs of an angry house-cat. The blade is 48.5 cm in length. Do not despair the electrical tape on the grip; it lies over gauze protecting the original worm-eaten wooden grip. I am told the inscription is some awful romantic drivel in vogue in the 16th century and not worthy of the effort of translation.

And Fröhliche Weihnachten to you, Lee,

From a rainy and windy Bavaria! :)

The blade to me seems to be a later addition, the script is, as you surmised, not worth translating and might have been added in the 18th c.

Best,
Michael

Hi,

beautiful hilt design of an atypical/hybrid katzbalger with an unual ring-guard inside the s guard and with a finger-guard, a transitional sword.

I have a 1582 dated katzbalger with a similar blade in my collection and
I'm pretty sure that this katzbalger is homogen and that the blade is the original, however about 30cm shortened, the blade length should be around 80cm. (it could have been reshaped during it's working life.)

This katzbalger has a similar finger guard as most of the dussages from the late 16th century and can be dated in this period around 1575-1585.

The inscription, btw I have never seen anything like this, seems to me like Michael suggested later,on the other side it would not surprise me if this also has been done in the 16th century.(The manuscript is truthful)

perhaps it will give some outcome after translation.



best,

Never seen anything like this, but, not to say anything about the probable purpose of such a short blade, it looks definitely interesting and functional to me - just remember, what length was the average Roman gladius of, and remember, in which kind of combat it was used.

Hi Jasper,

Could you please present any dated or closely datable kind of period artwork showing a Katzbalger from the 1570's/80's?

Best,
m