Katzbalger - request for assistance in identifying blade mark

Jim McDougall · 3rd July 2021, 05:50 PM

Thats an excellent catch Victrix!!!
The one character is pretty much a perfect match.
As you well note, Lenciewicz's attributions are sketchy in many cases, and like Gyngell, these are simply compendiums of markings drawn mostly from varied museum examples and often material from private collection items published.

As such, in many, if not most, cases, these attributions are clearly presumed based on context or hopefully some sort of substantiated provenance.

With this instance, as Lenciewicz shows (as from Gyngell), 15th century, Italy.
The circumstances here we can only speculate. As I noted, these types of devices were often the same kinds of sigil like forms which were used widely in Switzerland and S. Germany in the 16th century.
However, given the traffic in arms and blades between these regions and North Italy in these times (as early of course as 15th c) it would be hard to place any one of these marks specifically to region, let alone period and emphatically not to any one maker.

3rd July 2021, 05:50 PM	#8
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,192	Thats an excellent catch Victrix!!! The one character is pretty much a perfect match. As you well note, Lenciewicz's attributions are sketchy in many cases, and like Gyngell, these are simply compendiums of markings drawn mostly from varied museum examples and often material from private collection items published. As such, in many, if not most, cases, these attributions are clearly presumed based on context or hopefully some sort of substantiated provenance. With this instance, as Lenciewicz shows (as from Gyngell), 15th century, Italy. The circumstances here we can only speculate. As I noted, these types of devices were often the same kinds of sigil like forms which were used widely in Switzerland and S. Germany in the 16th century. However, given the traffic in arms and blades between these regions and North Italy in these times (as early of course as 15th c) it would be hard to place any one of these marks specifically to region, let alone period and emphatically not to any one maker.