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10th November 2020, 12:09 PM | #1 | |
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Location: Tennessee, USA
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The curve on the hooks is pretty aggressive. It is really hard to determine their utility. I agree that they don’t appear to act as a linstock or musket rest. I’m a big fan of Roncones and just got my first one. |
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10th November 2020, 08:43 PM | #2 |
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I do not know what the purpose of these hooks is, to me they appear rather weak to have a serious & direct offensive or defensive role & they immediately remind me of the lashing 'hooks' on this combination musket/crossbow (see link). I have no idea if they are for fastening something to the lance and this is merely food for thought.
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ation+crossbow |
10th November 2020, 11:37 PM | #3 |
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As I understand it, the famous Polish Winged Hussars were equipped with exceptionally long lances of 4-7m. This meant that their lances would reach a pikeman first if the lance was longer than the pike. It also meant that the lances had to be hollow to reduce weight. Some say the lances splintered easily on impact and were disposable, others argue that the hollowness actually made them stronger and more able to absorb shocks. I understand that the Polished Winged Hussars charged at full gallop, and the shock impact must have been considerable. Some local sources claim that the lance could skewer several enemies on impact.
I think I have seen hooks like that somewhere but can’t recall where. They look like they are intended to catch and rip or deflect (enemy pikes?). The sharp blades attached on the sides would slice where the point might be deflected or it might cut enemy pikes on impact. I tried to search for an antique kopia on the internet to compare but was unable to find one. |
11th November 2020, 01:47 AM | #4 |
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I found this snippet from a book. These examples of Kopia heads certainly back up the “disposable” idea. My spear is different in every possible way, except that it’s pointy.
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11th November 2020, 02:33 AM | #5 | |
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The vexing thing is that there seems to be no other comparable examples in existence. At least to our present knowledge. Hopefully the historical military literature might provide an answer, or at least a clue. |
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11th November 2020, 02:24 AM | #6 | |
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ronconi
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11th November 2020, 03:38 AM | #7 | |
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I’ve attached some pics. I’m not sure what order they will attach in, but I have an overview of the roncone, a closeup up the blade, a view of the original langets (partial, I assume), the benefits of high ceilings, and the rest of the children waiting to be attached to the wall. Should have 18 total, I think. I like to arrange them with similar heads opposite each other, so I’ll likely put the Polish pike on the end, opposite the large boar spear, and have the roncone opposite the large Glaive. This was another reason I was excited to get the pike in this thread. It is going to balance out the display with my other spear, I hope! I lost a corseque at auction this weekend, which would have matched my 15th century Italian lance. Sad, but I have to keep money in reserve for a large painting this weekend. I need a decent corseque and spetum. I’m always looking for a traditional pollaxe, but at $8-12k, that’s a... commitment. I just bought this new house so my play money is disappearing quickly. |
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11th November 2020, 07:51 PM | #8 |
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bellissimo!
Thanks for posting your new treasure, it really deserves a thread all its own, hopefully we can have other members chime in regarding the development of the bill in other European countries besides Italy, with examples of same from their own collections!
Your roncone is indeed a wonderful example of the genre, its form quite nicely preserved, without visible damage, repairs, or alteration. The extremely long dorsal spike is a nice feature. Let's see it after you clean it up, (should look spectacular!) and get a dedicated discussion thread going. |
11th November 2020, 09:31 PM | #9 |
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Excellent wall display! Congratulations. Looks really great. Here is a picture from Inverary Castle in Scotland for inspiration.
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12th November 2020, 03:46 AM | #10 | |
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I used the Higgins Armory (now closed) as an example for my display. I would have done a full half-circle if my ceiling wasn’t slanted. I have more to hang, and I’ll make a thread about my hanging system, which I’m very happy with. |
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12th November 2020, 09:35 AM | #11 | |
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I decided to only display in one personal room in my flat (cozy office/TV room) for consideration to my wife, and so as not to alarm visitors in Sweden which is appallingly PC. My collection is ever increasing and my wife presented an ultimatum: either you don’t buy more stuff or we need a bigger home. But I acquire more items by stealth and then ask her to wrap and give it to me for Christmas and birthdays. The problem is where to hide a 2.7m long halberd for 6 months... |
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12th November 2020, 03:40 AM | #12 | |
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12th November 2020, 09:32 PM | #13 | |
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