Re: Engraved decoration on weapons

[Mathieu Harlaut]

Hello Al,

I finally found XVth century swords
with inscriptions on the cross but
it is far from common.

- There is one longsword with a strait cross
and a pear shaped pommel which belonged to Maximilian 1.
It is displayed in the exhibition on Charles the Bold in Berne.
and therefore it is shown in Catalog.
The text describes an inscription on the cross
  "HMIADM"
which stands for
  "Halt Ma in allen Dingen, Maximilian",
the motto of the "order of the temperance" ?.
The whole sword, pommel, handle, blade is quite
  decorated with engraved St Andrew crosses, Steels and flints=85
Unfortunately the picture in the book is too small
I can see the decorations on the pommel
but not on the cross. The pommel and cross are gilded.

It is kept in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.

- There is also a one hand Type XV sword
with a rib blade from Lombardie.
The guard is S shaped from above and has the inscriptions :

TEMP(O)RE MAR / QUADRI     PATR(IARCA).

AN(N)O    MCCCLXVI./ DIE.VI.IVL(II)

The inscription is readable one the blade is held upward.

It seems the cross was cast in bronze but it is not specified in the =20
text.

Cheers,

Mathieu

Le 12 juin 08 =E0 03:49, Alasdair Muckart a =E9crit :

>
> Greetings all,
>
> Peter Lyon is building me a sword in a style consistent with the 3rd =20=

> quarter
> of the 15th century, and I am wondering about having some short =20
> biblical text
> engraved on the guard. I would like to have it done but if it isn't =20=

> accurate
> I'd rather save it for a different sword because this one will form =20=

> part of
> my reenactment gear.
>
> I have seen simple linear decoration engraved on small arms of the =20
> period,
> e.g. dagger rondels, but I haven't seen any specific examples of text
> engraved on weapons of the period other than the pommel of the =20
> incredibly
> decorated XVIIIb sword from the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, which =20
> doesn't
> seem to have been a working weapon.
>
> Is there any evidence for or against this sort of decoration on =20
> swords during
> the period in question?
>
> Many thanks.
> --=20
> Alasdair Muckart | William de Wyke | =
http://wherearetheelves.blogspot.com
> "Any sufficiently advanced stupididty is indistinguishable from =20
> malice"
> 	-- James D. Macdonald
>
>