Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - The EARLY MAKERS TRADE MARKS thread... lost and partly restored.

fernando · 19th October 2017, 03:39 PM

Old 18th June 2012, 02:18 PM #244

Posted by:
Matchlock
(deceased)

Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Bavaria, Germany -
the center of 15th and 16th
century gunmaking

Hi 'Nando,

The wavy serpent-shaped ornament, as I have often pointed out, is a very old European decorative element which was used from ancient times thru the Gothic, Renaissance and Early Baroque periods.

It shows up especially (though not exclusively) on almost all kinds of ironworks, including early- to mid-16th century barrels which were symbolically seen as the incarnation of a fire throwing monster such as a dragon or serpent. Some muzzles of barrels of that Renaissance period were even shaped as fire-spitting zoomorphic animals.

These facts kept in mind, it is in my opinion impossible to assign a stylized serpent ornament on a blade to a certain maker or center of production, although they were mostly employed in North Italian and South German regions.
This is NOT a mark but as you say just a traditional symbol, an ornament; that's all there is to it.

Some illustrations:

From top:

- an antenna rapier, late 16th c., from the Collection of the Princes of Liechtenstein, Schloss Vaduz (1 image)

- a fish-tail rapier, late 16th c., from Schloss Ambras (2 images)

- a Landsknecht's saber, South German, ca. 1540 (2)

- muzzles of three Nuremberg arquebus barrels, ca. 1530, especially the one on top (1)

- detail of a Nuremberg arquebus barrel dated 1539 (2)

- detail of another Nuremberg barrel, ca. 1550

- detail of a mid-16th c. igniting iron (1)

- detail of the muzzle of an arquebus, ca. 1530, Schloss Heidecksburg (1)

- detail of the staghorn inlaid tiller of a crossbow, ca. 1520's, Schloss Heidecksburg (1)

- detail of an engraved serpent amidst foliage, on a Nuremberg cranequin, dated 1545 (1)

Best,
Michl

(missing attachments)
.

19th October 2017, 03:39 PM	#215
fernando Lead Moderator European Armoury Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Portugal Posts: 9,639	Traditional serpent ornament Old 18th June 2012, 02:18 PM #244 Posted by: Matchlock (deceased) Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bavaria, Germany - the center of 15th and 16th century gunmaking Hi 'Nando, The wavy serpent-shaped ornament, as I have often pointed out, is a very old European decorative element which was used from ancient times thru the Gothic, Renaissance and Early Baroque periods. It shows up especially (though not exclusively) on almost all kinds of ironworks, including early- to mid-16th century barrels which were symbolically seen as the incarnation of a fire throwing monster such as a dragon or serpent. Some muzzles of barrels of that Renaissance period were even shaped as fire-spitting zoomorphic animals. These facts kept in mind, it is in my opinion impossible to assign a stylized serpent ornament on a blade to a certain maker or center of production, although they were mostly employed in North Italian and South German regions. This is NOT a mark but as you say just a traditional symbol, an ornament; that's all there is to it. Some illustrations: From top: - an antenna rapier, late 16th c., from the Collection of the Princes of Liechtenstein, Schloss Vaduz (1 image) - a fish-tail rapier, late 16th c., from Schloss Ambras (2 images) - a Landsknecht's saber, South German, ca. 1540 (2) - muzzles of three Nuremberg arquebus barrels, ca. 1530, especially the one on top (1) - detail of a Nuremberg arquebus barrel dated 1539 (2) - detail of another Nuremberg barrel, ca. 1550 - detail of a mid-16th c. igniting iron (1) - detail of the muzzle of an arquebus, ca. 1530, Schloss Heidecksburg (1) - detail of the staghorn inlaid tiller of a crossbow, ca. 1520's, Schloss Heidecksburg (1) - detail of an engraved serpent amidst foliage, on a Nuremberg cranequin, dated 1545 (1) Best, Michl (missing attachments) . Last edited by fernando; 21st October 2017 at 06:23 PM.