Oakeshott Type XIV Medieval Sword with Coiled Guard

Description

Overall length 35 7/8 inches Tang length 3 ½, thickness 1/4", width ¾ at pommel, 1 at crossbar Fuller length 21, width at crossbar 1, depth at crossbar 1/16. Figures are approximate; the fuller fades out unclearly. Blade length 29 7/8, width at throat 3 1/8, thickness at throat ¼, width at 2" from tip 1, thickness at 2" from tip 1/16. There has been some slight loss at the tip. Pommel outside dia 2 ¼ Pommel center disk dia 1 Pommel thickness at outside 9/16 Pommel thickness at center disk 1 3/16 Overall cross 7 9/16 Overall cross height 1 7/8 Width at center of cross 3/8 Thickness at tips of cross 3/8 Width at tips of cross 5/8-1/2. The two tips aren’t quite the same size Thickness at center of cross 1 1/16 Excavated condition. Stable oxide layer on exterior, likely a river find. Slight loss at tip; broad, shallow fuller. 1 arm slightly bent, as is the tang, so that the pommel is slightly out of alignment with the blade. Crossbar is Oakeshott style 9, pommel is type J.

Curator's Comments

This sword, purchased by the Higgins Armory in 1936, is an example of Oakeshott Type XIV, a striking type of the period 1250-1350; surviving examples are uncommon. The pommel is Oakeshott'sType J. With its broad base and dramatically tapered blade, this is a handy weapon capable of delivering powerful cuts while allowing for the accurate thrusts required of an expert medieval swordsman. This was a sword equally suited for the rigors of the battlefield and for the sophisticated bouts of sword-and-buckler combat that were a staple of the medieval martial arts. The crossbar is particularly distinctive: its light cross-section, sweeping curve, blade cusps and finial knobs can be seen in contemporary art, but rarely in surviving swords of the period. The original is in excavated condition, with some losses to the blade and one quillon slightly bent: it is a great delight to see this fine sword reconstructed in its original form. [Blurb for Museum Replicas]

Bibliography

Max Dreger, Die Waffensammlunmg Dreger (1926).
See sale catalogue of H.C.M. Dreger (Berlin) 2 Aug 1927 at Lucerne (Th. Fisher & E. Kahlert & Son)
Cf. their # 17, given as "early Gothic…" Blade said to be inlaid with iron inscription. I.S.C… length 94 cm. Dreger cat # 115. Excavated German, ca. 1300. Plt. II. No fuller. Cf. to #2428.
Oaheshott, R. Ewart. The Sword in the Age of Chivalry. New York: Frederick A. Praeger, Publishers, 1964. 96; 51-53, pl. 16, 20A & C; pl. 16, p. 114

Source: higgins.lostpapyr.us/artifacts/2428