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An Extremely Rare German 'Landsknecht' Broadsword (Katzbalger) image 1
An Extremely Rare German 'Landsknecht' Broadsword (Katzbalger) image 2
An Extremely Rare German 'Landsknecht' Broadsword (Katzbalger) image 3
Lot 220

An Extremely Rare German 'Landsknecht' Broadsword (Katzbalger)
First Half Of The 16th Century

26 November 2014, 10:30 GMT
London, Knightsbridge

Sold for £21,250 inc. premium

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An Extremely Rare German 'Landsknecht' Broadsword (Katzbalger)
First Half Of The 16th Century

With bright double-edged rebated blade (some scattered pitting) with shallow central fuller on each side of the forte, a latten-filled bladesmith's mark within the fuller on one side, and with four shallow fullers on each side of the ricasso, characteristic hilt comprising russet iron guard formed of horizontally recurved writhen quillons springing from a cusped quillon-block and each with large compressed spherical brass terminal made in two pieces and incised with triple line criss-cross ornament, arched russet iron pommel with cusped central flute on both sides, the top with roped and incised line borders and surmounted by a petalled brass finial with button terminal flanked by engraved brass florets, and original wooden grip (old splits) of tapering ovoidal section, in original wood-lined black leather scabbard (damaged and incomplete) with later iron chape, tooled line decoration and pockets for a by-knife (missing) and bodkin, the latter (associated) with sharply-pointed baluster blade pierced for a cross-bar, gilt-iron handle with incised and punched decoration, gilt baluster finial en suite, and faceted hardwood grips (one chipped) secured by four transverse pins
74 cm. blade, 89.5 cm. overall

Footnotes

This is an extremely rare survivor of this characteristic type of which the best known is the 'Landsknecht' sword of Ulrich von Schellenberg (circa 1687-1558), in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna (inv. no. A.287). Other examples include one thought to be that of Duke Heinrich the Pius of Saxony (1473-1541) in the Historisches Museum, Dresden (inv. no. 1567 S.110), another in the Schweizerischen Landesmuseum, Zurich (inv. no. CM19516) and another in the Kretzschmar von Kienbusch Collection, Philadelphia (no. 348). An example retaining its very similar scabbard is in the Royal Armouries Leeds. For the first see Heribert Seitz, Blankwaffen I..., 1965, pp. IX and for the last Arthur Richard Dufty, European Swords And Daggers In The Tower Of London, 1974, p. 17, pl. 16a

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