Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - German Executioner's sword Early 17TH century ?

Philip · 11th April 2017, 06:07 AM

Headsman's swords with broad lenticular blades without points are often referred to as German/Austrian/Swiss, but there are examples which originate in neighboring, non-Germanic countries as well. Hermann Historica's Auction 49 (2005), featured a Hungarian example (Lot 258), mounted up on a hussar-saber-type hilt with an L-shaped knuckle guard. Its blade is engraved with two warrior figures out of classical mythology in a rather East European folk-art style, and with Latin inscriptions. I have seen a couple others similar to this elsewhere.

The Muzeum Narodowe in Kraków, Poland, has several with purely "Germanic" hilts (the generic form seen in this thread). I have handled a couple others in the museum's depot. A couple of the swords in this collection are named to Polish towns.

11th April 2017, 06:07 AM	#7
Philip Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: California Posts: 1,036	use not limited to German-speaking countries Headsman's swords with broad lenticular blades without points are often referred to as German/Austrian/Swiss, but there are examples which originate in neighboring, non-Germanic countries as well. Hermann Historica's Auction 49 (2005), featured a Hungarian example (Lot 258), mounted up on a hussar-saber-type hilt with an L-shaped knuckle guard. Its blade is engraved with two warrior figures out of classical mythology in a rather East European folk-art style, and with Latin inscriptions. I have seen a couple others similar to this elsewhere. The Muzeum Narodowe in Kraków, Poland, has several with purely "Germanic" hilts (the generic form seen in this thread). I have handled a couple others in the museum's depot. A couple of the swords in this collection are named to Polish towns.