[Nathan Robinson]

Hand-and-a-Half Sword, Southern Germany, circa 1510-1520

Slender, double-edged blade of flattened hexagonal section. The first quarter of its length having a fuller with a Passau Wolf mark. Slightly curved cross-guard with roped finials. The single guard ring is also decorated with roped ornamentation. Stepped, leather-covered grip, spirally-grooved pommel with flower-shaped brass peen button.

Overall length: 43.31" (110 cm); Blade length: 34.7" (88.2 cm)

Copyright © Hermann Historica Auction House


A more detailed photo, alongside examples of other swords, can be found in our 16th century longswords photo album.

[Nathan Robinson]

Longsword, Germany or Possibly Switzerland, circa 1525-1550

Blued hilt. Pear-shaped pommel with small button on top; horizontally re-curved quillons of circular section terminating in pear-shaped knobs like the pommel; Pas D`ane, with open cage of guards, one being a transverse bar joining the ring to the Pas D`ane; on the other side a bar projecting horizontally and ending in a knob like the quillons. Shouldered grip bound with cord. The double-edged blade of flattened hexagonal section at the hilt merging into convex towards the tip. Incised with the running wolf mark on one side.

Overall length: 52.56" (133.5 cm); Blade length: 40.63" (103.2 cm); Blade width: 1.65" (4.2 cm) at guard; Guard width: 8.78" (22.3 cm); Balance Point: 4.25" (10.8 cm) from the guard; Weight: 4.2 pounds (1.91 kg)

Wallace Collection A.478

Literature:
Mann, James G., Wallace Collection Catalogues: European Arms and Armour Volume II, London: The Wallace Collection 1962
Norman, A. V. B., Wallace Collection Catalogues: European Arms and Armour Supplement, London: The Trustees of the Wallace Collection, 1986

http://wallacelive.wallacecollection.org/eMus...detailView

Copyright © Trustees of the Wallace Collection


A more detailed photo, alongside examples of other swords, can be found in our 16th century longswords photo album.

[Glen A Cleeton]

Thank you for posting up these swords with information and the links. A seemingly tireless effort but we know the effort and time spent to share these.

Cheers

GC

[Nathan Robinson]

[J. Nicolaysen]

So has anyone found out much about that very distinctive ricasso design on some of these examples? It's the same as found on Albion's XIX blades, like the Gallowglass. I did a cursory search and read through of some threads here about the Gallowglass but didn't find anything specific, nor on the Albion page.

[Nathan Robinson]

[Roger Hooper]

[J. Nicolaysen]

Thank you both. I had noticed the design on all the XIX blades from Albion, and had read the spotlight article, but did not remember much discussion about it. And I'll freely admit I did not think to use "Rosarial" as a search term! Very interesting theory.

[Nathan Robinson]

Bastard or Hand-and-a-Half Sword, German, middle of the 16th century

Overall length: 47.17" (119.8 cm); Blade length: 38.74" (98.4 cm)

Located at Reichsstadtmuseum Rothenburg, Germany


A more detailed photo, alongside examples of other swords, can be found in our 16th century longswords photo album.

[Nathan Robinson]

A German Bastard or Hand-and-a-Half Sword, circa 1530

The blade struck with a quatrefoil of star marks.

Overall length: 49.6" (126 cm); Blade length: 39.96" (101.5 cm)

Located at Reichsstadtmuseum Rothenburg, Germany


A more detailed photo, alongside examples of other swords, can be found in our 16th century longswords photo album.

[Nathan Robinson]

Longsword, Germany, circa 1580 (hilt) and 14th century (blade)

The hilt of blued steel; pear-shaped pommel; straight quillons, round in section and ending in pear-shaped knobs with spiral-roped collar; side-ring on either side. Waisted grip bound with cord and covered with leather. The broad, double-edged blade has a shallow hollow running three-quarters of its length. The maker's mark is a bell within a shield, inlaid in copper on both faces 13.8 cm from the hilt.

Blade length: 37.6" (95.5 cm); Blade width: 2.125" (5.4 cm); Weight: 4.52 pounds (2.05 kg)

Wallace Collection A.477

Literature:
Mann, James G., Wallace Collection Catalogues: European Arms and Armour Volume II, London: The Wallace Collection 1962
Norman, A. V. B., Wallace Collection Catalogues: European Arms and Armour Supplement, London: The Trustees of the Wallace Collection, 1986

http://wallacelive.wallacecollection.org/eMus...detailView

Copyright © Trustees of the Wallace Collection


A more detailed photo, alongside examples of other swords, can be found in our 16th century longswords photo album.

[Nathan Robinson]

Hand-and-a-half sword, Passau, Circa 1510-1520

Flattened, slender thrusting blade with a powerful, rhombic cross-section with a central ridge in the upper quarter. The cutting edge in places somewhat nicked. An orb mark is on each side with an inlaid Passau wolf mark on one. Curved cross-guard down-sloping towards blade and having a single guard-ring. Leather-covered, stepped grip with three ridges. Octagonal pommel with engraved decorative lines.

Overall length: 41.5" ( 105.5 cm); Blade length: 33.1" (84 cm)

Rare sword type in good condition. The blade can probably be attributed to a member of the Passauer Schwertfeger family Stantler. Compare to The Wallace Collection's A.479.

Copyright © Hermann Historica Auction House


A more detailed photo, alongside examples of other swords, can be found in our 16th century longswords photo album.

[Nathan Robinson]

Hand-and-a-Half Sword, Italy, circa 1560

Double edged, wide blade with strong central ridge dating to the 2nd half of the 16th century. Slightly curved, iron quillons with ball finials. The forward guard-ring is filled with an openwork guard plate. On the rear is a thumb-ring. Finely stippled leather covered with brass wire-wrapped grip. The biconical pommel and cut all round with four flowers in relief.

Overall length: 42.13" (107 cm); Blade length: 31.5" (80 cm)

Provenance: Collection Conan Doyle, Galerie Jürg Stuker, Bern, December 1974 Los 369th

Copyright © Hermann Historica Auction House


A more detailed photo, alongside examples of other swords, can be found in our 16th century longswords photo album.

[Nathan Robinson]

Hand-and-a-Half Sword, German, circa 1540

Composite sword compiled from old parts. Double-edged blade with wide fuller running up the first third of its length having a maker's mark on each side. The long ricasso is incised with decorative lines. The symmetrical hilt has down-swept quillons with ball finals and a faceted pommel.

Overall length: 47.24" (120 cm); Blade length: 36.5" (92.6 cm)

Provenance: Private Collection Süddeutsche

Copyright © Hermann Historica Auction House


A more detailed photo, alongside examples of other swords, can be found in our 16th century longswords photo album.

[Nathan Robinson]

Bastard or Hand-and-a-Half Sword, German, late 16th century

The ricasso struck with two maker's marks.

Overall length: 56.1" (142.6 cm); Blade length: 47.17" (119.8 cm)

Located at Reichsstadtmuseum Rothenburg, Germany


A more detailed photo, alongside examples of other swords, can be found in our 16th century longswords photo album.

[Nathan Robinson]

Hand-and-a-Half Sword, Switzerland, circa 1570

Long, double-edged blade with a short fuller on each side and having a stylized wolf makers mark. The strong ricasso has the crescent-shaped brand of Munich's bladesmith Diefstetter. Iron, brown black patinated swept hilt with a rectangular guard and six-faceted pommel. Original (minimally damaged) spirally-fluted grip.

Overall length: 46" (117 cm); Blade length: 36.35" (92.32 cm)

Copyright © Hermann Historica Auction House


A more detailed photo, alongside examples of other swords, can be found in our 16th century longswords photo album.

[Nathan Robinson]

Longsword, German, circa 1570-1580

Blackened hilt; heavy, round pear-shaped pommel; shouldered grip bound with black leather slightly tooled in the upper section, the lower part corded; straight quillons of circular section swelling at the ends; double side-rings on each side and a finger-ring either side of the blade; single-edged blade of triangular cross-section (except at the tip where it is double-edged) with twin fullers and ricasso; blade is inlaid with a maker's mark in copper.

Length: 43" (109.3 cm); Blade width: 1.5" (3.8 cm); Weight: 4.7 pounds (2.14 kg)

Wallace Collection A.490

Literature:
Mann, James G., Wallace Collection Catalogues: European Arms and Armour Volume II, London: The Wallace Collection 1962
Norman, A. V. B., Wallace Collection Catalogues: European Arms and Armour Supplement, London: The Trustees of the Wallace Collection, 1986

http://wallacelive.wallacecollection.org/eMus...detailView

Copyright © Trustees of the Wallace Collection


A more detailed photo, alongside examples of other swords, can be found in our 16th century longswords photo album.

[Nathan Robinson]

Longsword, Germany and Italy, circa 1550

Blued hilt similar to The Wallace Collection A.480 and A.485. Inverted, cone-shaped pommel of octagonal section; shouldered grip bound with fish-skin; straight, spatulate quillons; knuckle-bow, single side-ring and knuckle-guard of diagonal bars; double-edged blade is flat, fullered near the hilt and stamped with a maker's mark on both sides.

The hilt and spatulate quillons and semi-basket guard for the knuckles is characteristically German of the middle of the 16th century, though the mark on the blade is Italian in character. Nos. A.480 and A.485, which have similar hilts, retrain their original German blades.

Length: 38.27" (97.2 cm); Blade width: 1.65" (4.2 cm); Weight: 3.5 pounds (1.59 kg)

Wallace Collection A.483

Literature:
Mann, James G., Wallace Collection Catalogues: European Arms and Armour Volume II, London: The Wallace Collection 1962
Norman, A. V. B., Wallace Collection Catalogues: European Arms and Armour Supplement, London: The Trustees of the Wallace Collection, 1986

http://wallacelive.wallacecollection.org/eMus...detailView

Copyright © Trustees of the Wallace Collection


A more detailed photo, alongside examples of other swords, can be found in our 16th century longswords photo album.

[Nathan Robinson]

Longsword, Italy or Spain, circa 1540

Blackened hilt; fig-shaped pommel; straight guard of circular section, swelling at the ends; simple side-ring on each side; fluted wire-bound grip; blade of flattened hexagonal cross-section, fullered and incised with lines.

Extremely similar to Wallace Collection A.493; similarly inscribed but of slightly larger dimensions.

Length: 45.9" (116.6 cm); Blade width: 1.5" (3.9 cm); Weight: 4 pounds (1.81 kg)

Wallace Collection A.494

Literature:
Mann, James G., Wallace Collection Catalogues: European Arms and Armour Volume II, London: The Wallace Collection 1962
Norman, A. V. B., Wallace Collection Catalogues: European Arms and Armour Supplement, London: The Trustees of the Wallace Collection, 1986

http://wallacelive.wallacecollection.org/eMus...detailView

Copyright © Trustees of the Wallace Collection

A more detailed photo, alongside examples of other swords, can be found in our 16th century longswords photo album.

[Nathan Robinson]

A Bastard or Hand-and-a-Half Sword, Swiss, mid-16th Century

Original blackened hilt. The blade of hexagonal cross-section having a ricasso struck with a maker's mark. The upper flat part of the blade engraved with ornamental decoration.

Overall length: 50.8" (129 cm); Blade length: 37.2" (94.5 cm)

Located at Reichsstadtmuseum Rothenburg, Germany


A more detailed photo, alongside examples of other swords, can be found in our 16th century longswords photo album.