Romanesque Swords Proper?Circa 1150-1500

Group IIIa: Flat disc pommel, straight guard
This group is roughly dated to 1100-1300, and is not a highly represented category. The earliest examples, discovered in the mid 20th century by Jorma Leppaho, were dated to mid 11th to early 12th century.

Group IIIb: Flat disc pommel, curved guard
Swords with spherical pommel are also included in this group. The category is fairly uncommon. One of the best known examples is from the Musee de l'Armee.

Group IIIc: Molded wheel pommel, straight guard
This is one of the most common groups. The difference in pommel shape from the previous two groups is that the molded pommels are thicker and often have chamfered edges or central bosses. In addition, the rivet block is more characteristic of this and later groups.

The swords in this group fall into three chronological sub-categories. The first of these is characterized by a short grip, heavy cutting blade and large side panels on an almost spherical pommel. The second sub-group has a longer grip, smaller pommel side panels and more clearly defined central boss. The third sub-group features a well-formed and pronounced central boss in the middle of the pommel.

Group IIId: Molded wheel pommel, curved guard
This group is less common but shows more variation in style. Dr. Bruhn-Hoffmeyer describes the swords in this group in terms of blade shape: either with a slender thrusting blade of the "Sempach" type or with an acutely tapering blade which starts very broad at the hilt and has a pronounced median ridge. Alternatively, Dr. Bruhn-Hoffmeyer separates the swords in this group into English/French or Italian categories. This is based primarily on the shape of the guard. The guards in the English/French group have a gentler curve, while the guards in the Italian group have a straight guard with ends turned down sharply.

Date: 2016-06-13; view: 324