Antique Italian broadsword c. 1550
Sept 14, 2019 23:14:15 GMT
Post by viece on Sept 14, 2019 23:14:15 GMT
Hello all,
Here is another recently acquired antique sword. The others I’ve posted are below:
sbg-sword-forum.forums.net/thread/54967/antique-scottish-basket-hilt-broadsword
sbg-sword-forum.forums.net/thread/54972/antique-german-basket-hilt-sword
sbg-sword-forum.forums.net/thread/55158/antique-17th-18th-walloon
This next one is a continental European double-edged infantry-length broadsword with a sort of proto-basket hilt, probably Italian and likely dating to the mid-sixteenth century or maybe early seventeenth. It is the top one in the picture of 5 swords in a wall rack, and probably the oldest.
E.B. Erickson has described the Italian as a “kind of like a rapier hilt split down the middle,” which captures the effect very well. Its overall proportions are similar to Del Tin’s so-called 17th Century Italian Sword (DT2176), although of course with a more complex hilt. You also find stortas and falchions with a similar hilt style.
The sword is in excavated condition. When I got it in June 2019 it had several areas of active rust on the tang and lower third of the blade, since it had been in storage since the mid-1990s. I carefully removed that using WD-40 and synthetic and brass brushes, then cleaned the whole thing with alcohol and microfiber towels and sealed with Renaissance Wax.
After stabilization I sent it to Steven Huerta, who created the grip you see here. I know some might find the combination of the restored grip and the excavated patina to be incongruous or even offensive, but I like it. As I’ve developed my small collection over the last few years, I’ve realized I am drawn to beat-up antiques that are not too precious to handle (see my other antique writeups for similar statements about other pieces). Handling these weapons is really the main way I connect with their rich history, and gripping a bare tang just doesn’t cut it. Apologies to any who object to this approach!
Anyway, here are its stats. I suspect the overall weight/mass is slightly low relative to its original state due to metal loss prior to stabilization, but that degradation probably represents single-digit percentage loss.
Weight/mass: 1.71 lb; 776 g
Total length: 35.8”; 91 cm
Blade length: 30.3”; 77 cm
Guard max length/breadth (normally quillons; here to the outermost curves of the pas d’ane): 4.7”; 12 cm
Max depth of proto-basket: 3.1”; 8 cm
Grip length: 3.1”; 8 cm
Blade max width (below ricasso): 1.5”; 3.7 cm
Point of balance (from guard): 5.3”; 13.5 cm
Distal taper of the blade: 0.2” or 5 mm thick just below the guard, tapering to 0.08” or 2 mm thick at 4” or 10 cm from the tip
Tang measurements (since it was exposed at acquisition, and I thought some forum members scoping custom pieces may find these stats useful): 5 mm thick and 14 mm wide at the guard, tapering to 3.5 mm thick and 8 mm wide just below the pommel
The blade has a shallow fuller in the first third or so, transitioning to a flattened hexagonal cross section after that. There is a weld repair near the tip but it seems to date to its period of use. When the sword came to me it had a pronounced bend, which I straightened out (mostly) using the dowel-and-clamp method Matt Easton has demonstrated on his Youtube channel. I do not undertake this sort of repair lightly—especially given the piece’s relic condition, which often comes with increased brittleness—and agonized over it for a while first. The bend bothered me enough I decided to risk it, with very gradual and gentle pressure increases until I got to the angle you see in the picture. I left it like that for about an hour, then released. I’m pleased with the result.
Overall, I’m struck by how light and delicate it is. The crusty brown patina and wide blade make it look fairly chunky, but it’s lighter than my original late-eighteenth-century smallsword (second from the bottom in the wall rack picture). Very nimble in the hand.
Please let me know if you have any questions or comments. Thanks.
EDIT: added some additional pics by Steven Huerta. Much better than mine! You can see more details of the proto-basket and new grip.
Here is another recently acquired antique sword. The others I’ve posted are below:
sbg-sword-forum.forums.net/thread/54967/antique-scottish-basket-hilt-broadsword
sbg-sword-forum.forums.net/thread/54972/antique-german-basket-hilt-sword
sbg-sword-forum.forums.net/thread/55158/antique-17th-18th-walloon
This next one is a continental European double-edged infantry-length broadsword with a sort of proto-basket hilt, probably Italian and likely dating to the mid-sixteenth century or maybe early seventeenth. It is the top one in the picture of 5 swords in a wall rack, and probably the oldest.
E.B. Erickson has described the Italian as a “kind of like a rapier hilt split down the middle,” which captures the effect very well. Its overall proportions are similar to Del Tin’s so-called 17th Century Italian Sword (DT2176), although of course with a more complex hilt. You also find stortas and falchions with a similar hilt style.
The sword is in excavated condition. When I got it in June 2019 it had several areas of active rust on the tang and lower third of the blade, since it had been in storage since the mid-1990s. I carefully removed that using WD-40 and synthetic and brass brushes, then cleaned the whole thing with alcohol and microfiber towels and sealed with Renaissance Wax.
After stabilization I sent it to Steven Huerta, who created the grip you see here. I know some might find the combination of the restored grip and the excavated patina to be incongruous or even offensive, but I like it. As I’ve developed my small collection over the last few years, I’ve realized I am drawn to beat-up antiques that are not too precious to handle (see my other antique writeups for similar statements about other pieces). Handling these weapons is really the main way I connect with their rich history, and gripping a bare tang just doesn’t cut it. Apologies to any who object to this approach!
Anyway, here are its stats. I suspect the overall weight/mass is slightly low relative to its original state due to metal loss prior to stabilization, but that degradation probably represents single-digit percentage loss.
Weight/mass: 1.71 lb; 776 g
Total length: 35.8”; 91 cm
Blade length: 30.3”; 77 cm
Guard max length/breadth (normally quillons; here to the outermost curves of the pas d’ane): 4.7”; 12 cm
Max depth of proto-basket: 3.1”; 8 cm
Grip length: 3.1”; 8 cm
Blade max width (below ricasso): 1.5”; 3.7 cm
Point of balance (from guard): 5.3”; 13.5 cm
Distal taper of the blade: 0.2” or 5 mm thick just below the guard, tapering to 0.08” or 2 mm thick at 4” or 10 cm from the tip
Tang measurements (since it was exposed at acquisition, and I thought some forum members scoping custom pieces may find these stats useful): 5 mm thick and 14 mm wide at the guard, tapering to 3.5 mm thick and 8 mm wide just below the pommel
The blade has a shallow fuller in the first third or so, transitioning to a flattened hexagonal cross section after that. There is a weld repair near the tip but it seems to date to its period of use. When the sword came to me it had a pronounced bend, which I straightened out (mostly) using the dowel-and-clamp method Matt Easton has demonstrated on his Youtube channel. I do not undertake this sort of repair lightly—especially given the piece’s relic condition, which often comes with increased brittleness—and agonized over it for a while first. The bend bothered me enough I decided to risk it, with very gradual and gentle pressure increases until I got to the angle you see in the picture. I left it like that for about an hour, then released. I’m pleased with the result.
Overall, I’m struck by how light and delicate it is. The crusty brown patina and wide blade make it look fairly chunky, but it’s lighter than my original late-eighteenth-century smallsword (second from the bottom in the wall rack picture). Very nimble in the hand.
Please let me know if you have any questions or comments. Thanks.
EDIT: added some additional pics by Steven Huerta. Much better than mine! You can see more details of the proto-basket and new grip.