Oakeshott XVIIIa Renaissance Sword / Transitional Schiavona

Dated: circa 1500

Measurements: Blade 98.3 cm. Overall length 115 cm

Also called “spada schiavonescha” this sword comes with a long flat double-edged blade formed with a short point and struck with a mark within the fuller on both sides at the forte. The blackened iron hilt comes with a crosspiece formed with a short écusson on both sides and extending to opposing acutely curled bars of triangular section. The rectangular shield-shaped pommel is formed with a prominent domed boss on each face and later wooden grip covered with leather over cord.
Swords of this type were carried by the Dalmatian mercenaries in the service of The Council of Ten. An example with a closely comparable hilt, formerly in the castle of Collalto near Treviso, is now in the von Kienbusch Collection in the Philadelphia Museum of Art. See The Kretzschmar von Kienbusch Collection of Armor and Arms, Princetown, 1963, cat.no. 327.

For more information on Type XVIIIa swords see this extract from Ewart Oakeshott's Records of the Medieval Sword: sword-site.com/thread/183/oakeshott-xviii-xviiia-records-medieval

Source: www.hermann-historica.de/