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Old 4th March 2012, 05:58 PM   #1
Matchlock
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Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Bavaria, Germany - the center of 15th and 16th century gunmaking
Posts: 4,310
Default A Unique South German Late 15th Century Foot Soldier's Axe

This used to be in my collection some 20 years ago.

The head struck with a Gothic maker's mark of characteristic shape, a cross with four pellets, deeply struck three times in the Late Gothic tradition; the hardened blade significanty fire-welded (forge-welded) to the softer iron head. The original unstained ash haft branded with an (arsenal?) mark, N or Z (for Nuremberg or Zurich?).

Heavily patinated overall.

Overall length 119.7 cm, the head 27.4 x 22.0 cm.


Foot soldier's axes of this kind in perfect condition are almost unrecorded. There is an exact illustration of such a fighting axe in Albrecht Altdorfer's painting for the St. Sebastian altar in the monastery of St. Florian near Linz, Austria, 1515-19 (see attachments).

Best,
Michael
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Last edited by Matchlock; 4th March 2012 at 08:30 PM.
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