Épée pour le tournoi chevaleresque à pied,... - Lot 113 - Pierre Bergé & Associés

Épée pour le tournoi chevaleresque à pied, fechtschwert, dans le style allemand du Sud vers 1490-1500. A sword for the Knightly foot tournament, fechtschwert, in the South German style of circa 1490-1500. With slender blade formed in five stages, of flattened diamond section alternating with rectangular stages blunt and recessed for the hand, inlaid with a brass cross mark on one side, flattened crosspiece widening towards the horizontally recurved ends and reinforced by a raised cabled ridge over both halves, tall stopper-shaped pommel cut with pairs of cabled vertical bands, and two-stage grip bound with leather over cord. L. overall: 124 cm - L. blade: 98.2 cm - W.: 22 cm. Swords of this type were intended for use in a form of late 15th century Foot Tournament fought between fully armoured contestants in an enclosure; some contemporary manuscripts show combat to the death. A late 15th century example is preserved in the former Imperial collection in Vienna (A 168).