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LOT 0269
Medieval Schiavonesca Type Iron Sword with Inlay
14TH-15TH CENTURY A.D.
46 1/2 in. (1.37 kg, 1.18 m).
Comprising a broad, double-edged blade with rounded tip, shallow central fuller to the upper third of both sides; flat guard with stepped central panel, D-section arms formed in a horizontal S-curve, 'cat's head' truncated type pommel with an integral central boss to both faces; the tang with a sword-shaped stamp, the blade with an inlaid three-armed workshop mark and another stamp, including a V surmounted by a cross.
ProvenanceFrom an English collection, acquired 1990s.
The Kusmirek Collection, UK.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11771-203963.
See Aleksić, M., Mediaeval Swords from Southeastern Europe, material from 12th to 15th century AD, Belgrad, 2007, especially cat. nos.273, pl.17,2; similar swords at the armoury of the Ducal Palace in Venice, see Franzoi, U., L’Armeria del Palazzo Ducale a Venezia, Treviso, 1990, fig.41f.
FootnotesThe Schiavonesca sword was used by Dalmatian mercenaries serving in the Venetian state armies, and were produced by the workshops of the Serenissima to which the marks probably belong. Many of these swords were produced in Dubrovnik, a Croatian city under the Venetian rule. Dr Aleksić mentions the swordsmith Radonja Vukotić, who made an agreement with blacksmith Andrija Miletin at the beginning of September 1436, to produce swords together in the following year.
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Medieval Iron Spur Group
13th-15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
Comprising: one rowel spur with tapering D-section heelband, short shank and arched rowel box with articulated eight-armed rowel, attachment buckle with tongue suspended from integral loop on one arm, two lobed plaques with loops on reverse suspended from integral loops on the other; a spur with D-section heelband and lentoid-section shank, rectangular and quatrefoil openwork, sections of hatching and raised designs to the outer faces. 215 grams total, 16-18 cm
European collection, 1990s. Property of a Cambridgeshire, UK, gentleman. -
Medieval Iron Broad Socketted Axe
13th-16th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
Featuring scooped upper and lower edges, convex cutting edge and round-section socket; mounted on a modern wooden shaft. 2.8 kg, 91.5 cm
From an English collection, acquired 1990s. The Kusmirek Collection, UK. -
Viking Iron Sword with Inlaid Hilt
8th-10th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £6,240
Comprising a double-edged tapering blade showing shallow fullers and wide cutting edges; boat-shaped lower guard with inlaid vertical copper bands; the upper guard decorated in similar fashion; five-lobed pommel with deep grooves between the lobes, each lobe inlaid with copper bands. 1.05 kg, 90 cm
Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D'Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11592-199910.
It is the decoration and the structure of the sword that suggest classifying it as a type H of Petersen, rather than type R which usually presents a five-lobed pommel. The copper markings are artistically consistent with archaeological examples of decorative work of Viking swords, notably with the one in Suomen Kansallismuseo, Helsinki, published by Peirce (2002, pp.6off.). The decoration, which here takes the form of vertical copper lines, is striped as on the Helsinki specimen.
