windlass bar mace -- myArmoury.com

Aaron Morris · Posted: Thu 11 Jun, 2009 1:56 pm Post subject: windlass bar mace

hello, I recently ordered the bar mace by windlass steel crafts I wanted to know if anyone had one and what they thought of it also does anyone know about it's use in history I've never heard anything about them before, thanks

Sean Flynt · Posted: Thu 11 Jun, 2009 2:07 pm Post subject:

I've seen one like this in an Italian museum catalog. I don't recall which one, though.

Nathan Robinson · myArmoury Admin

Mace, d'arme, c. 1300-1350
Roma, OD 669

The dimensions are 750mm (29.5" long) x 55mm (2.17" wide) and the weight is 1430g (3.2 pounds)

Ben Sweet · Posted: Thu 11 Jun, 2009 3:43 pm Post subject:

I've been wanting to grab up one of these since they first started offering them, I've failed in doing so....Aaron could you post up owner photos and what you think of it?
Thanks!

Josh MacNeil · Posted: Thu 11 Jun, 2009 3:50 pm Post subject:

Here's a review of it. No pictures, but good info.

http://sbgswordforum.proboards.com/index.cgi?...hread=3850

Aaron Morris · Posted: Thu 11 Jun, 2009 4:01 pm Post subject:

thanks for the review, and I'll be sure to post some pictures it should come in tomorrow interesting

Nat Lamb · Posted: Thu 11 Jun, 2009 6:32 pm Post subject:

That looks suspiciously like a "star picket" used by road workers and industrial gardeners here in Australia. I once got hit with one when working as a bouncer, and I can vouch first hand as to their efficacy. One with a proper place to grip would most likely be even more dangerous.

Danny Grigg · Posted: Thu 11 Jun, 2009 9:09 pm Post subject:

Nathan Robinson · myArmoury Admin

Danny Grigg · Posted: Thu 11 Jun, 2009 9:30 pm Post subject:

Nathan Robinson · myArmoury Admin

Danny Grigg · Posted: Thu 11 Jun, 2009 10:46 pm Post subject:

Here is a quote from "European Weapons And Armour by Ewart Oakeshott".

"There is in the Odescalci Collection in Rome a most interesting mace of aberrant form, like a rather graceful club forged in steel with a little finial at its head shaped as a truncated cone reversed, and a small spherical button at the end of the narrow, shaped grip, illustrated in figure 13. This is a rare example of such a mace, though several are to be seen in Italian paintings of the fourteenth century-notably a fresco by Giotto in the Cappella della Scrovegni, Padua (c. 1303-1305), and a predella by Giovanni di Bartolomeo Christiani (c. 1367-1393) in the Metropolitan Museum, New York. It seems to have been a type of weapon confined to Italy, used probably only during the fourteenth century, since no representations of it exist later than Christiani's predella."

Please forgive any spelling errors.

Danny

PS - does anyone have photos / pics of the two painting mentioned by Oakeshott? I'm going to check out the Met's website now......

Aaron Morris · Posted: Fri 12 Jun, 2009 8:10 am Post subject:

Nathan do you have a translation of that second image

Gabriele A. Pini · Posted: Fri 12 Jun, 2009 8:39 am Post subject:

39./40
Arms Mace, c. 1300-1350
Rome, OD 669

Rod handle, with a spheroid pommell and body long and tight, formed by four flanges crossed, lightly ricurved and flared to the point, where is closed by a trunched square pyramid, peeled and knocked over.
(750 x 55; 1430)
The mace is very similar to that illustrated in fig. 38 and to the mace gripped by "The Fortitude" painted by Giotto in the Scrovegni's Chapel of Padova ca. 1303-1305, where this virtue defend herself behind an high palvese. A similar mace, but more complicated, it's that in the third plank of the "The Death of Saint Sebastian", painted in the 1367 by Nicoletto Semitcolo in Pavia's cathedral (a).

I hope it's all correct!

Sean Flynt · Posted: Fri 12 Jun, 2009 8:49 am Post subject:

Fortitude.

Aaron Morris · Posted: Fri 12 Jun, 2009 2:35 pm Post subject:

thanks for the translation Gabriele, that image of the lady holding the mace makes me wonder if it was a weapon kept in households in case of an attack or something but I could be all wet

Chad Arnow · myArmoury Team

Danny Grigg · Posted: Fri 12 Jun, 2009 4:18 pm Post subject:

Nathan, thanks once again for posting the photo from Armi Bianche. That book is a treasure trove for great pics, now if only someone would re-release it and translate it into English so the rest of us could purchase a copy.

Gabriele, thanks for the translation.

Sean, where did you find that pic?
I don't suppose you've got pics of the "Predella by Giovanni di Bartolomeo" or "The Death of Saint Sebastian by Nicoletto Semitcolo"?

Danny

Aaron Morris · Posted: Sat 13 Jun, 2009 4:04 pm Post subject:

I just got it in yesterday its nice and hefty I'm quite shocked about how much power it has though its quite interesting, I was also surprised a bit on the size I knew how long it was gonna be but it didn't really register i guess. i also noticed in a review about its handle being uncomfortable to hold and at first it felt a bit weird but after handling it a while i like how the handle feels anyway here's some pics of the beastie

Jeremy V. Krause · Posted: Sat 13 Jun, 2009 4:40 pm Post subject:

Man- that is really long!

Seems like it would be really unwieldy- but can a mace really be "wieldy" anyway. . Happy

Does it look overly modern- with signs of casting and such?