boar spear

[LJ]

Anybody have any thoughts on this boar spear? It was owned by a keen collector who was active in the mid 20th century, so if it is a fake it hasn't been done in the last 40-50 years or so.

It has had a tasselled fringe below the head, but most of that has now gone. The leather strapping is pinned in place with brass studs. An armourer's mark is visible on the blade in the photo: I've tried to pin down whose stamp this is but with no success.

[fernando]

It looks fine ... at least to non expert eyes
Can't you post more pictures ... like close ups of the mark, leather straping and so on ?

[LJ]

I will happily take more photos, but I'm afraid I must leave you all in suspense until next week, when I have access to the collection again.

Of course, I should have thought about this before first posting ... sorry !

[Enmetena]

Looks like 16th cent German boar spears. Here You can see similar ones:





As You can see Yours lacks bone crossbar under the spearhead.

[LJ]

Many thanks for attaching those images. I must admit that the criss-cross leather strapping has me puzzled. I noticed this feature on boar spears displayed in the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, where the labels on most examples say that they are old heads on newer shafts. I did wonder if the strapping was an original feature - now I can see it IS, from those old illustrations.

It still seems to me to be a bit impractical. You would think that the leather would very quickly get into a disgusting state, very difficult to clean after use. In the examples with a cross-bar this might be less of a problem. Is there actually a practical reason for adding this strapping, or was it really just decoration ?

[A Senefelder]

where the labels on most examples say that they are old heads on newer shafts.

This is because it was not altogether uncommon in the 19th century during the medieval/gothic revival to rehaft older period pole arm heads ( I've onwed a few of these over the years ) and copy the leather wrapping. Tasseling under the socket and covering the new shaft in fabric ( velvet was popular ) were also common features of the better redos. Doesn't mean this one has undergone that but its the reason for the attributation at Leeds.

[fernando]

Boar spears at the Philadelphia Museum of Art:

.

[Enmetena]

Don't know for sure but bone crossbars are attached by those straps. It does not however explains why those straps are so long, so probably there was also decorative factor.

Here are two more boar spears from Venceslaus Hollar engravings (mid 17th cent)

Rafal

[LJ]

Thanks for patiently waiting for the images. I'm attaching: 1) a close-up of the armourer's mark, 2) a length of the leather strapping and 3) the whole thing laid out on a carpet showing that the strapping never extended the whole length of the shaft. The spear is 76 inches long.

[Timo Nieminen]

Regarding the strapping: one might think that it would be good if the strapping ran the whole length of the spear, since it would give a better grip. But it will stop the spear haft from sliding in the hands (e.g., when using the "pool queue shot", where a thrust is done by sliding the haft through front hand). For a fighting spear used in two hands, that's really important, so one has a smooth haft, rather than a grippy haft.

Strapping near the head will tend to keep the head attached if the haft breaks near the socket. Probably also reduce the chance of the haft breaking completely through. So it's functional as well as decorative.

(Strapping all the way down the haft should work for cavalry lances, and infantry spears used one-handed with shields.)