Iron bastard sword from the "Castillon group". - Lot 21

Lot n° 21
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Estimation :
25000 - 35000 EUR
Result with fees
Result : 98 906EUR
Iron bastard sword from the "Castillon group". - Lot 21
Iron bastard sword from the "Castillon group". Western Europe (mount), Germany (blade), (found in the Dordogne near Castillon-la-Bataille), second quarter of the 15th century. L. 113 cm - l. 18 cm Iron bastard sword from the "Castillon group Western Europe (hilt), Germany (blade), (found in River Dordogne near Castillon-la-Bataille), second quarter of the 15th century. L. 44 1/2 in - l. 7 in 826 CH Composed of a very strong estoc blade of diamond-shaped cross-section, with brass inlays on each side featuring the Passau wolf (mark of the Passau blade smiths' guild in Germany) and the smith's personal mark (a sort of crow's foot). These marks are almost illegible on one side. Straight quillons widening in the center and at the ends, terminated by bulbous knobs. Finely chased fishtail pommel. Significant traces of wood, mineralized by rust, on the spindle and heel of the blade (scabbard wood). Good archaeological condition, blade edge nicked in places. Translations at the end of the catalog In the early 1970s (probably 1974), 80 medieval swords were discovered by chance at a ford in the Dordogne River by persons unknown, crammed into two chests aboard a barge that had sunk to the bottom of the river halfway between the town of Castillon-la-Bataille and the site of the French victory of July 18, 1453. Given their location and dating, these swords appear to be linked to the famous Hundred Years' War battle. certainly part of the booty recovered from the English troops. Swords from this group appeared on the market as early as the late 1970s. Over the years, information about the initially secret discovery of this set has gradually leaked out, enabling us to reconstruct the context of these exceptional pieces in terms of their number, state of preservation and the great history with which they are associated.
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