Exceptional Merovingian Spatha / Sword

Editor's Note: Below text automatically translated by Google Translate from Italian.

Category: Collez. of a Gentleman
Origin: Central Europe
Dating: Sec V

Description: Straight blade with two wires, iron, with center groove; beautiful wooden hilt hilt with rectangular with rounded corners, small pommel round and oval handle slightly increasing towards the hilt, all covered with silver braid and five bands in double gold wire hoops that were, most likely, decorated in polychrome enamels, the pommel cap with gold disc, the border engraved with triangles, these enamelled probably, at one time.

Notes: This interesting weapon dates back to Merovingian (428-752 d. C.). The shape of the hilt looks of the transition period between the swords of the type II (Nordic hilt decorated with silver dated to around 300 d. C., found in Kragehul Mose in Denmark) and type VI (V-VIII century. Use of Germanic peoples) described by Heribert Seitz in Blankwaffen I, page 90, table 52. Provenance: See our sale of 3 October 2010, lot 2202.

Dimensions: length 92.5 cm.

Source: www.czernys.com/auctions_lot.php?oggetto=47397&asta=40