Hope I am posting in the right spot. I'm considering starting a custom project in a few months, but trying to do some research first.

I'm a sucker for complex hilts, especially on bastard sword length and above. I also really like the type XVII blade on one of my Albions. One of my dream swords would be a combination of the two, but I've yet to see pictorial evidence of actual swords like this in period. I'm starting to wonder how often they were built like this?

I've glanced through the sword galleries here, but many of the photos on the complex hilts focus on just that-the hilt (Dont get me wrong I am not knocking the galleries, which I have found indispensable in past searches). Also, my eyes are not what they used to be, and differentiating between say, a type XV and XVII by photo alone is something I find challenging.

Despite being a lurker and occasional poster here for a few years, I count myself fairly low in the sword knowledge department. I was hoping some of you might have examples, or suggestions pointing me in a productive direction in looking for photos?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Michael

Off the top of my head: Type XVII's aren't typically mated to a compound hilt. it's a bit of a clash of styles, IMO. A Type XIX would be a common choice and perhaps be attractive to you given the hexagonal cross-section.

Forgive any ignorance in this question, as I'm really trying to learn, but I am wondering whether you mean an aesthetic clash of styles, or a functional one?

I've read complex hilts formed in part because of a more thrusting style of fighting, and type XVII seems pretty point focused. This is why I'm surprised not to see any.

Michael

A clash of styles in terms of what was to commonly be found historically.

I see. Thank you Nathan. This makes my search problem more clear.

Perhaps a better question for me to have started the thread with would have been: What blade types were commonly paired with complex hilts for 1.5-2 hand use?

regards,

Michael

How 'complex' are we talking?

One of my favorite historical swords is this German piece at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, which has a XVII blade much like the one on the Albion Sempac and Landgraf, but a rather elaborate guard like the upcoming "Hauptmann," including two side rings that are not easily visible in these shots.

Thanks Zach. That was the sort of thing I was hoping to see.

Oakeshott's typology is progressively chronological, with generous overlap in usage, so yeah, once we hit the time period in which complex hilts are well-developed, we've also hit the type XXI and XXII blades (and there is no type XXIII, alas...).
So one could say that's not a type XVII based on it's approximate birthdate, but Oakeshott certainly recognizes a resurrection of the XIIIA in the late 15th C. after a period of disuse.
I remember this sword fairly well from a few years back, and I'd say that if one mounted that blade with a #8 cross and an H1 pommel there would be no doubt as to it's typology. I almost wonder if it isn't a remounting of an older blade in newer hilt furniture. Or maybe a particular customer simply requested a more thrust-oriented variation on the hexagonal-sectioned cutter that was more common in that day.

I'm not sure but I think that the sword here http://www.myArmoury.com/albums/photo/13777.html might also be considered a type XVII.

Edit: Link was broken, now fixed.