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Thomas R.




Location: Germany
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PostPosted: Wed 25 May, 2011 12:27 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Zach, thanks a lot for those wonderful pictures! It's your eye for the details, which makes them so valueable for us all! Big Grin

Keep up the good work!
Thomas

http://maerenundlobebaeren.tumblr.com/
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Randall Moffett




Location: Northern Utah
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PostPosted: Wed 25 May, 2011 1:02 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Very neat exhibit they are doing there. Some fantastic pieces on display. Thanks for the photos!

RPM
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Paul Hansen




Location: The Netherlands
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PostPosted: Wed 25 May, 2011 1:31 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Zach, many, many thanks for the pictures.

I really can't thank you enough, especially for the one from Childeric's sword:
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m7/Lunaman...011591.jpg

If you have more or higher resolution pictures of that particular sword, please send me a PM. Big Grin
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Dustin R. Reagan





Joined: 09 May 2006

Posts: 264

PostPosted: Wed 25 May, 2011 1:34 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Wow, thanks for these pictures.

Any chance you have a picture of the messer's blade? I believe that I can make out what looks like either a large secondary bevel (sabre ground?), or a shallow fuller along the blade. Is this true? Can you say anything about the messer's cross-section?

Thanks,
Dustin
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Zach Luna




Location: Los Angeles
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PostPosted: Wed 25 May, 2011 1:50 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Well I'm just glad my snapshots can do more than sit on my memory card. Big Grin I've actually got many more from this trip-- from The Wallace Collection, The British Museum, The V&A, and the Tower of London. I could put those up soon as well.

@Dustin, I can't seem to find a shot of the full length of the messer, but you can see some of it on the right edge of this photo:
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m7/Lunaman...011666.jpg
I don't recall it having a fuller, and what looks like a secondary bevel seems to be on the wrong edge. It had a pretty thick spine.

The last shots from this exhibit are from the area where I spent the most time. They had a lovely Albion Yeoman available for people to play around with there. The sword was retained by a cable around the pommel that had a generous length, and you could reach your arm through the plexiglass "access port" to swing it around freely in a little padded room. This clever setup allowed for a pretty large range of motion without putting the user or bystanders in any danger. I'm really glad this was available, because I think letting people feel the weight of a good sword in-hand is a great way to dispel a lot of myths about medieval swords. It also let me get a bit of my swording fix, as all my own sword were thousands of miles away for the whole month. Laughing Out Loud



I loved this little area, and I love the way the Yeoman handles (a great pick to show that a robust blade can still be very agile, and it just begs to be swung around) BUT I felt a bit bad for the sword. The exhibition had only been open a week or two and the grip was already showing some wear, with the seam starting to peel back. More alarming, though, was the blade surface. I had forgotten this fact in my years of collecting, but here was evidence again that people just cannot resist touching blades when they come across a sword. Worried It drives me nuts.
The blade was covered in fingerprints, which can be dealt with, but it looked as if the blade had not been cleaned of these during its time there. Some had developed into active staining.



This doesn't have to be the fate of "hands-on" swords if they receive proper maintenance. For instance, I had seen a couple of Albion Gaddhjalt swords in an exhibit at the Tower of London a few days earlier that were in fine shape, despite being open to touch from hundreds of visitors each day (these were also blunted and locked down). The Yeomen just needed to be cleaned an oiled regularly.
I attempted to explain this to anyone working at the exhibition, but the message couldn't quite make it across the language barrier. Maybe another forum member with better French could explain if they visit?

Anyway, I had a great time at the Cluny, and I'm glad I was able to show here some of what I saw there. Thanks for looking!


Last edited by Zach Luna on Wed 25 May, 2011 2:03 pm; edited 3 times in total
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Thom Jason





Joined: 13 Mar 2011

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PostPosted: Wed 25 May, 2011 1:58 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

FYI: I also have tons of photos and even a Video Walk-through of the Exhibit in HD that I recorded.

However I contacted the Museum through a friend related to the exhibit before posting and was asked to kindly wait until the exhibition was concluded before posting them.

The Video is over 2 gigs so I'm having some trouble finding somewhere to host it in all it's glory.
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Zach Luna




Location: Los Angeles
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PostPosted: Wed 25 May, 2011 2:08 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Thom Jason wrote:
FYI: I also have tons of photos and even a Video Walk-through of the Exhibit in HD that I recorded.

However I contacted the Museum through a friend related to the exhibit before posting and was asked to kindly wait until the exhibition was concluded before posting them.

The Video is over 2 gigs so I'm having some trouble finding somewhere to host it in all it's glory.


Hmmm. I hadn't even thought of that. Worried
I figured that since I was allowed to take as many photos as I wished that I would be free to show them to other people. I mean, what else would I do with my pictures? I don't think it will hurt the exhibit to generate interest in the things they have there.
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Michael Edelson




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PostPosted: Wed 25 May, 2011 3:17 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Zach Luna wrote:
Thom Jason wrote:
FYI: I also have tons of photos and even a Video Walk-through of the Exhibit in HD that I recorded.

However I contacted the Museum through a friend related to the exhibit before posting and was asked to kindly wait until the exhibition was concluded before posting them.

The Video is over 2 gigs so I'm having some trouble finding somewhere to host it in all it's glory.


Hmmm. I hadn't even thought of that. Worried
I figured that since I was allowed to take as many photos as I wished that I would be free to show them to other people. I mean, what else would I do with my pictures? I don't think it will hurt the exhibit to generate interest in the things they have there.


If you didn't sign an agreement you can do whatever you want.

Albions swords on display for people to handle. That's very clever, and encouraging. This may just be the greatest museum of all time. What did they do, hire a real enthusiast as a curator (oh the scandal!)? Happy

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Thom Jason





Joined: 13 Mar 2011

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PostPosted: Wed 25 May, 2011 3:54 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

There's the legal responsibility and then there's the polite civilized thing to do.

People worked long and hard to make the exhibit a reality and I simply don't want to do anything that could be construed as "taking away" from the specialness of this exhibit and doing something that has the potential to be perceived as lowering attendance.

I don't think Zach has done anything wrong by posting his photos. (In Fact you can see mine here: http://s60.photobucket.com/albums/h17/cabbitmeow/DijonX/ including some photos from the Dijon X event. Cluny photos are at the end of the album.)

Incidentally, the catalog of the exhibit can be ordered online and is well worth the price.
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Danny Grigg





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PostPosted: Wed 25 May, 2011 4:58 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Thom do you have the catalogue?

If so what language is it in?

How many swords are in the catalogue approximately?

Does it contain stats on the swords, overall length, blade length, weight etc?

Thanks.
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Thom Jason





Joined: 13 Mar 2011

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PostPosted: Wed 25 May, 2011 5:09 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

The catalog is in French unfortunately, and no measurements.

It has pics of all the swords in the exhibit though.
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Roger Hooper




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PostPosted: Wed 25 May, 2011 5:18 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Thom Jason wrote:
People worked long and hard to make the exhibit a reality and I simply don't want to do anything that could be construed as "taking away" from the specialness of this exhibit and doing something that has the potential to be perceived as lowering attendance.



I think that, after seeing these photos, it wiould stimulate people to go to the exhibit, who otherwise might not have bothered to attend.

I wonder why Albion decided on a Yeoman for people to wield? If they had chosen the Oakeshott sword instead, then the holders would have really been amazed.
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Nathan Robinson
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PostPosted: Wed 25 May, 2011 5:39 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Roger Hooper wrote:
Thom Jason wrote:
People worked long and hard to make the exhibit a reality and I simply don't want to do anything that could be construed as "taking away" from the specialness of this exhibit and doing something that has the potential to be perceived as lowering attendance.


I think that, after seeing these photos, it wiould stimulate people to go to the exhibit, who otherwise might not have bothered to attend.


I agree. Sharing tidbits like this online only whets the appetite to go visit and see these beautiful things in person. Photos aren't anywhere near as valuable as seeing things first hand!

Cheers

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Thom Jason





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PostPosted: Wed 25 May, 2011 5:47 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

I agree as well, but I asked and was told to hold off until the exhibit is over. There is apparently some sensitivity around it so I'm holding off from posting the video.
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Paul Watson




Location: Upper Hutt, New Zealand
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PostPosted: Wed 25 May, 2011 9:54 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Thom Jason wrote:
I agree as well, but I asked and was told to hold off until the exhibit is over. There is apparently some sensitivity around it so I'm holding off from posting the video.


Good point about legalities vs politeness. If someone asks you to do something whether you are bound to an agreement or not, by complying with their request it will make future restrictions on accessibility whether by some means of media or in person less likely.

I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, but that which it protects. (Faramir, The Two Towers)
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Al Muckart




Location: NZ
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PostPosted: Thu 26 May, 2011 3:06 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Hi Zach,

Zach Luna wrote:
Here are some shots of the Turin Scabbard that also show the edge of the sword and the engraved marks in the fuller in more detail. Note the stitching along the edge, rather than up the back, and the fact that the scabbard seems to have been made of untreated calfskin.


Thank you very much for posting these pictures. It's really really neat to see some of these familiar swords in more detail, especially in the context of their scabbards.

FWIW my guess is that the cover of the St Maurice scabbard was originally alum-tawed calfskin, which is stable and extremely strong but suffers in that the alum can wash out if it gets wet. Add a few hundred years of wear on top of that and you could well be left with something difficult to distinguish from rawhide or parchment. If you look closely at the areas around the strapping near the mouth of the scabbard they're more white than yellow, and the belt itself looks very much like alum tawed leather to me.

--
Al.
http://wherearetheelves.net
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Mark T




PostPosted: Thu 26 May, 2011 4:39 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Zach Luna wrote:
I've actually got many more from this trip-- from The Wallace Collection, The British Museum, The V&A, and the Tower of London. I could put those up soon as well.


Yes please! Big Grin

(Does the happy dance in antici .......... pation.)

Chief Librarian/Curator, Isaac Leibowitz Librarmoury

Schallern sind sehr sexy!
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Julien M




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PostPosted: Thu 26 May, 2011 4:45 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Mark T wrote:
Zach Luna wrote:
I've actually got many more from this trip-- from The Wallace Collection, The British Museum, The V&A, and the Tower of London. I could put those up soon as well.


Yes please! Big Grin

(Does the happy dance in antici .......... pation.)


Hey Zach,

You could post these on the relevant post I have started on the forum...I have on for each going on of the museums you quoted save for the tower of london that (amazingly enough) I have not seen yet.

Cheers,

J

edit: I am amazed by the pictures of the St Maurice scabbard. I will see that up close (now I'm sure to go! such artefacts are so rare...)
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Julien M




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PostPosted: Thu 26 May, 2011 5:00 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Zach Luna wrote:
The Yeomen just needed to be cleaned an oiled regularly. I attempted to explain this to anyone working at the exhibition, but the message couldn't quite make it across the language barrier. Maybe another forum member with better French could explain if they visit?


I shall go with a couple of cloth, fine scotch brite and hanwei oil, will clean the damn thing myself and give an earfull to anyone touching the blade bare fingered Happy Happy

I'm afraid it's a lost cause if you consider the number of visitor here per day, including kids...This yeoman will have to be sacrified for the greater purpose of educating people!
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Jeremy V. Krause




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PostPosted: Thu 26 May, 2011 8:19 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Thom Jason wrote:
The catalog is in French unfortunately, and no measurements.

It has pics of all the swords in the exhibit though.


Do you happen to have the link where the catalogue can be purchased?

Thanks!
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