Quote:
Originally Posted by M ELEY
I agree. CSinTX. Some of the late medieval swords had a 'fanciful' look to them that could throw you if you didn't see them literally being removed from their tombs. I recall seeing the intact blade of some early English king from the 1400's and it was like this one in many ways.
Fernando, thanks for posting this great footage!
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The decoration may look "fanciful" at first blush but in essence the proportions of hilt to blade length, the relative narrowness of the quillons, and the wheel pommel with large flattened central bosses is quite reminiscent of those features on the sword of Giovanni de' Medici (d 1353) which was recovered from his tomb in Florence early in the last century. This sword was in pretty dreadful as-found condition, having suffered more deterioration during its internment, but has since been cleaned and conserved to the point at which the blade is essentially intact, with original edge and tip contours, albeit with the expected corrosion pits. I can't wait to see what Dom Dinis' sword will look like after conservation is completed.
You can see "before" and "after" photos of Giovanni de' Medici's sword in plates 44.52 in Boccia/Coelho,
Armi Bianche Italiane.