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Old 4th March 2012, 05:58 PM   #1
Matchlock
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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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Old 4th March 2012, 10:20 PM   #2
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Nice one! That Germanic type remained in vogue for several centuries, unchanged, up to the 18th century. I have such similar axes in my collection.
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Old 5th March 2012, 08:16 PM   #3
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Can we see them, PLEASE?!

m
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Old 9th March 2012, 05:42 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Matchlock
Can we see them, PLEASE?!

m
Gladly although after looking at them they only similar, not exactly alike, though clearly of the same 'family'. The oldest one is the three-stamp with the cut out, appr. 1600-1650.
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Old 9th March 2012, 08:13 PM   #5
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Not bad though I feel a bit relieved that none is actually as characteristically Gothic -and of huge dimensions! - as mine was.

m
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Old 9th March 2012, 10:10 PM   #6
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Not those. I do have a gothic axe, circa 1500, but for woodworking.
Very similar to the one on the left here (woodcut by Durer, 1500):
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