Records' XIV.6, at Nationalmuseet Denmark. Photo hunt... -- myArmoury.com

Bren O

Hi folks.
I'm wondering if anyone has any photos or further information about the type XIV held at the Nationalmuseet at Kopenhagen, featured in Mr Oakeshott's Records of the Medieval Sword - XIV.6, p.121
Records has some great detailed sketches and the approximate weight.

Folks I know who have visited the Nationalmuseet don't have it in their photos sets, so it seems to not be on display - though it may have been on and off display at different times?
I can't find it in their online museum webpages either. I've emailed them before without reply so I don't hold my breath on that.

The sword is also featured here on myArmoury: http://myArmoury.com/feature_spotxiv.html (XIV.3 on this page)

I gladly appreciate any further info you may have on it. It's a fascinating sword and a beast to boot. The 3" wide x 2" thick pommel is unique. As are the fuller terminals fore of the guard which frame nicely the peaked guard. Not to mention the massive 3.1" wide x 34" blade.
The 8.8cm grip would hopefully be snug enough to offer some security of purchase when swinging this mighty sword single handedly - short grips have the advantage here when the hilt can grip the hand securely so that the hand can relax that bit better.

Thanks
Brendan Olszowy

Mark Lewis · Posted: Sun 08 Nov, 2015 9:12 pm Post subject:

This sword was sold at auction a few years ago, I'm not sure if it ever really was in the Nationalmuseet... See this thread for links to the auction of this sword and others from the same collection and/or in Records:
http://myArmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=301...highlight=

Craig Peters · Posted: Sun 08 Nov, 2015 10:54 pm Post subject:

Peter Johnsson has mentioned to me that XIV.6, beautiful though it may be, is almost certainly a fake. Among other things, if you look at it's weight given in Records, it is far too heavy for a sword of this type. I believe Peter also mentioned that some of the other features of this sword look "off" compared to the real XIV swords he has encountered.

Mark Lewis · Posted: Mon 09 Nov, 2015 4:41 am Post subject:

Craig Peters · Posted: Mon 09 Nov, 2015 5:44 am Post subject:

J.D. Crawford · Posted: Mon 09 Nov, 2015 7:11 am Post subject:

I'm not so sure its such a beauty either. The drawings look great in Records, but it looked like a clunker in the auction photos and the ones now on 'sword site'. And those visible fuller terminals... Anyway, somebody liked it enough to pay 23,000 pounds so I hope they are happy with it.

Bren O · Posted: Mon 09 Nov, 2015 7:40 pm Post subject:

Awesome folks, Thanks for those links etc. :-)

Yes I wonder if it could have been a Status symbol rather than a fighting sword - it would be somewhat a hindrance on the battle field at 2.2kg (4.85lb), but sure would enhance your manhood if you were all huff and puff.
The fuller terminations do stand out as odd, but I know that running them up to the tang would only thin and weaken the critical shoulder area, unlike the I beam effect of a single set of fullers in a tang - so there is reason for their early termination. And I do like how they frame the guard aesthetically.
However the guard is certainly unnecessarily and notably thick. It wasn't built with performance in mind, so that is suspicious.
As is the fuller continuing so far down the blade. Normally they'd only run 50 - 70% of the length.

I do note a discrepancy in that Oakeshott's / Records' listing is that the blade is 83.9cm, while Bonham's and Christensen have it at 82cm.

The fact that someone saw it as worth 23K GBP peaks my interest too. Usually folks with that sort of stack are not fools. Casts enough doubt to keep us guessing.

Aesthetically it's strong enough to stand up for interests sake - if it were a fake they were better at getting the proportions correct than most modern reproductions. But it does smell of something odd for sure.