An Extremely Rare North Italian Arquebusier's Auxiliary Armament Saber, ca. 1510-15

[Matchlock]

Hi Cornelius,

Thank you so much for your both well documented and balanced arguments.

Still I beg to differ, my friend. I have known my friend's collection and lived to see his prevailing competence in more than two decades of both museum and auction sales room discussions. I also posted parts of his collection here a while ago. My humble number of three edged weapons - ca. 1510, 1520-5 and 1600-10 in my opinion - , plus four fine hallberds dating of ca. 1500, 1530, 1540 and Styrian, ca,. 1580 - all came from his former collection. I acquired them in order to get a few best possible quality contemporary decorative completements corresponding to my firearms and accouterments based collection.

As I have here stated more than once I do no claim any expertise on the field of edges weapons although never ceasing to point out both repeatedly and insistantly from the art historian's point of view that both are based on the same formal and decorative elements - along with all other contemporary arts and crafts alike of course - and are therefore essentially vital in judging all contemporary works of art correctly.

Considering the latter it should be kept in mind as a commonly accepted fact that architecture, paintings and sculpture used to be among the forerunners of a new style while ironworks and - after a considerably long interval - weapons usually were the latest products to adopt the new style and, in consequende, surrender to another afterwards ...

Best regards from Bavaria,
Michael

[Matchlock]

An illustration by Flavius Vegetius Renatus from his famos work 'Vier Bücher der Ritterschaft' (four books on chivalry), published Erfurt, East Germany, in 1511.

The landsknecht bears a short sword with exactly this type of threefold pommel as on my saber, a halberd and a short arquebus, obviously without a lock mechanism.
His companion on the right is equipped with a short sword featuring a pommel of early bird's head shape and lightly curved quillons of earliest Katzbalger type.

Best,
Michael

[Samik]

Nicely done research Michael!

As always I am fascinated by your remarkable scholarship and everlasting enthusiasm for the subject . I have noticed that the detail from the Battle of Pavia painting you uploaded seems like a great source of iconograpic evidence for our field of study. As of yet I have only found a low-res image of this marvelous work here http://www.wikigallery.org/wiki/pain...attle-of-Pavia
I was wondering if you have access to this beauty in its full glory and could perhaps share it with us, or alternatively point us to the right source...

Much obliged,
Samuel

[Matchlock]

Thank you very much, Samuel,

The battle of Pavia took place in 1525, the painting is dated 1529 and signed by the artist Rupprecht Heller, nothing about whom is known further.

Actually I borrowed a professional slide (cost me more than 300 euro ...!!!) of this painting from the Stockholm Museum where it is kept and had scene prints done, plus a huge size poster of the whole painting but I cannot put this on the scanner ...

I attach more details though scanned from a smaller sized scene print of the group of arquebusiers in the foreground.

Best as I could do,
Michael

[Samik]

Originally Posted by Matchlock

Actually I borrowed a professional slide (cost me more than 300 euro ...!!!) of this painting from the Stockholm Museum where it is kept and had scene prints done, plus a huge size poster of the whole painting but I cannot put this on the scanner ...

Thats some steep price indeed!

Originally Posted by Matchlock

I attach more details though scanned from a smaller sized scene print of the group of arquebusiers in the foreground.

Best as I could do,
Michael

I had been personally interested in the lancer(s) that are next to the arquebusiers but many thanks nevertheless!

Cheers,
Samuel

[Matchlock]

What I can do is try and take digital pics of the group of lancers (Spießknechte) and post those. The big poster is under glas though ...

m

[Matchlock]

Here are the horsemen lancers, best as I could do - it's under glass, so sorry for the inevitable reflections.

Best,
Michael

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Matchlock

Thank you very much, Samuel,

The battle of Pavia took place in 1525, the painting is dated 1529 and signed by the artist Rupprecht Heller, nothing about whom is known further.

Actually I borrowed a professional slide (cost me more than 300 euro ...!!!) of this painting from the Stockholm Museum where it is kept and had scene prints done, plus a huge size poster of the whole painting but I cannot put this on the scanner ...

I attach more details though scanned from a smaller sized scene print of the group of arquebusiers in the foreground.

Best as I could do,
Michael

Fascinating. Thanks a lot for sharing

[cornelistromp]

Circle/School of Federico Zuccaro
1557-1609
A Swiss Halberdier, standing slightly to right, and a separate study of his left hand and of the halberdier
Red chalk, on two sheets conjoined.

this corresponds to the earliest known thumbring in Art.
the first illustration with this type of thumb ring known, published by A.V.B. Norman, is in the portrait of Melchior Hornlocher by Hans Bock I, dated 1577 (Basle oeffentliche Kunstsammlung, inv NR 80).

best,