Page:A record of European armour and arms through seven centuries (Volume 2).djvu/339

 wood figures, and in the German and Swiss sculpture generally of the last years of the XVIth century. The examples we illustrate are from the collections of Mr. Whawell (Fig. 679) and the London Museum (Fig. 679). Mr. Whawell's is of the German-Swiss type—a very complete specimen with its sheath, eviscerating knives, etc., of about 1510; that in the London Museum was found nearly forty years ago when excavations were being made on the Thames Embankment. It was brought to the office of the architect, the late Francis H. Fowler, by one William Gooding who was clerk of the works. At Mr. Fowler's death it became the property of Mr. Edward Street by whom it was presented to the trustees of the London Museum in April 1919. A paper on this weapon appears in the "Archaeological Journal," vol. xxxiii, page 92. It is a fine representative weapon bearing on the continuation of its elongated pommel a latten shield charged with the arms of Austria. Considering its long burial in the London clay, it is in an admirable state of preservation. In the Zeughaus of Berlin and also in the Zurich arsenal is a splendid series of this same fashion of sword; indeed most of the arsenals of Germany possess fine examples. They are also to be met with in the private collections of that country. We illustrate a fine and very characteristic sword of this type which can be seen in the Musée d'Artillerie of Paris. It shows the large and exaggerated S-shaped quillons, the grip swelling towards the pommel, and the broad parallel edged blade with the square blunt end (Fig. 680a). In some instances a knuckle guard is added to the quillon defence.

Early XVIth century

Collection: Mr. S. J. Whawell

If it be urged that we should give further details of the almost countless variations that the swords of the Landsknecht class assumed, we can only plead that such insistence on minor details would probably weary the reader. So we will content ourselves with describing and illustrating