[Dashiell Harrison]

Hi All,

Does anyone know if Italian cities imported Passau blades much? It occurs to me that the answer might be "no" since Milan was also a blade capital, but I figured someone might have some actual evidence pointing one way or the other.

I'm especially interested in the 14th century, but evidence from before or after might be helpful in answering this rather specific question.

Thanks!

[Daniel Parry]

Hi there

Not a scientifically statistical answer and not 14th century, but I have seen and own several Italian hilt rapiers with German Passau marks of different types. These marks were numerous in type and, as others on this site have noted, often faked, but I don't see why not. Milan was a major armour producing centre but not as known as Toledo and Germany as a blade centre perhaps ? So I don't see why they would not have imported blades the way other locations did and hilted them locally. That is not to say they couldn't be faked marks in period.

Next question I guess is whether the items in question were from Milan at all ? Or imported as completed swords. Do you have specific examples you are looking at ?

D

[Michael Zimmermann]

If you read German, you might want to flick through the pages of Schmid's 'Passauer Waffenwesen' (available online, I believe) and see what he has to say on trade with Italy.

There is also the quite recent monograph by Huther, entitled 'Die Passauer Wolfsklingen'. Hard to come by, even here at home, but if you have access to a decent library, who knows...

Finally, I am aware of an arming sword, which I would date right around the end of the 15th century, in the doge's armoury, which has a maker's mark connected to the Stantler/Stäntler of Passau.