Kriegsmesser / Grossemesser from Austria Late 15th Century

With curved tapering blade with shallow fuller over most of its length on each side and double-edged over a third of its length to the point, the forte on one side struck with a small cross mark, hilt comprising straight quillons of tapering circular section, upturned tongue-like side-guard riveted through the quillon-block and with notched outer edge, flat grip made in one with the tall flattened pommel of beaked form, and retaining its wooden grip-scales secured by three transverse tubular copper rivets (pitting overall)

86 cm. blade

FOOTNOTES

The best-known sword of this type is the one made for the Emperor Maximilian by Hans Sumersperger of Hall in the Tyrol in 1496. Similar swords called Kriegsmesser are depicted being carried by swordsmen in Hans Burgkmair's famous woodcut series The Triumph of Maximilian, published about 1515, no. 38, and seem to have been used by the Imperial guard in Vienna under the Emperors Frederick III and Maximilian I. For information see O. Gamber, Die Mittelalterlichen Blankwaffen der Wiener Waffensammlung, Jahrbuch der Kunsthistorischen Sammlungen In Wien, vol. 57, 1961, pp. 30-33

£2,500 - 3,000
ANTIQUE ARMS AND ARMOUR INCLUDING THE S. JAMES GOODING COLLECTION
14:00 GMT 25 Nov 2015

LONDON, KNIGHTSBRIDGE

Source: www.bonhams.com/auctions/22749/lot/109/