Two-Handed Sword

Datepossibly about 1300

Mediumsteel, brass inlay

Dimensions127.5 × 102.2 × 5 × 17 cm (50 3/16 × 40 1/4 × 1 15/16 × 6 11/16 in.), 19.4 cm (7 5/8 in.), 3 lb, 14 oz (weight)

ClassificationsArms and Armor

MarkingsRunning Wolf inlaid in brass on one face, same without brass on the opposite face; the latter face also has an inscribed cross, perhaps also once inlaid in brass. See photos in digital file.

Credit LineThe John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection

Terms

Object number2014.57

DescriptionOakeshott type XIIIa. Blade of flat/hexagonal cross-section, with very gradual taper, and a mid-size, shallow fuller from the crossbar past the midpoint. Crossbar of short, stubby quillons with octagonal cross-section, flaring toward the ends.

Robust type J pommel, slightly squat in the longitudinal axis. Pommel surface is very irregular, with concentric rings around its center point, perhaps due to low-quality iron reacting to the corrosion. Secured with a truncated-pyramid peen block.

Traces of what may be wax from a previous treatment are present where the tang intersects with the crossbar and pommel.Label TextThis sword might look cumbersome, but it was quite usable in combat. It was used with one hand on the round pommel, the other near the crossbar, allowing for maximum control. The blade has a fuller, a groove running down the middle, which helps increase the blade’s strength while reducing its weight. The inlaid brass “running wolf” identifies it as the work of a Passau bladesmith.ProvenancePurchased from Andrew Lumley through Ian Eaves (England) on June 10, 2009.
Collection transfer from Higgins Armory, January 2014.

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