Late medieval sword with wolf mark


Steel, ivory, tin, forging, casting, incising 14th century (?) 117.5 x 98.5 x 4.2 cm Hilt cased in ivory decorated with figure of an angel praying in a niche on one side, and a cross in a niche on the other. Conical shaped pommel with depiction of cattle on both sides, ending in a button-shaped rivet. The crosspiece is made of brass with slightly curved ends, and decorated with a spiral floral vignette. The heart-shaped plaque in the middle holds a stylised decoration in shape of lilies. Blade made of steel, double-edged, damascened, with a fuller in the middle. On both sides of the blade, in the fuller, three times three tilted crosses. A wolf figure is placed on the face of the blade next to the crosses. Bought from the Milan Praunsperger in Zagreb in 1940. According to Milan Praunsperger, the sword had once belonged to Nikola Banic (Banffy) of Lendava, ban of Croatia, Slavonia and Dalmatia from 1345 to 1346 and from 1353 to 1356. M. Praunsperger, Oruzje starih Hrvata, Zagreb, 1943; M. Sercer, Macevi, bodezi, nozevi, Zagreb, 1976, catalogue number 10. Catalogue description partly taken from Marija Sercer, from the catalogue Macevi, bodezi, nozevi, Zagreb, 1976. Milan Praunsperger (Samobor, 5th November 1881 - Zagreb, 21st December 1960), judge, museologist, heraldist; after inheriting the family collection of historical weapons, he continued to collect them, enriching and studying the collection. He sold his huge collection in 1940 to the Banal Government of Banal Croatia for the Croatian National Museum in Zagreb. After E. Laszowsky he was the second Director of the War Museum in Zagreb. I wish to thank Mr Milivoj Petkovic, protonotary of the Brethren of the Croatian Dragon, for information concerning M. Praunsperger. On the Praunsperger collection see the article by Marija Sercer, 'Zbirka oruzja Milana pl. Praunspergera u Hrvatskom povijesnom muzeju' published in Muzeologija, No. 32 in 1995.




HPM/PMH-002840