Page:A record of European armour and arms through seven centuries (Volume 2).djvu/379

 Three other XVth century swords to be seen in Germany are well worthy of individual mention, the most notable of these being that known as the Kurbrandenburgische sword (Fig. 718). This was given to Albrecht Achilles, Duke of Brandenburg, in 1460 by Pope Pius II. From the contemporary account of the sword preserved in the Vatican it is known to have been made by the Florentine goldsmith Simone di Giovanni. For two centuries prior to 1810 this sword was preserved in the Zeughaus of Berlin, passing thence to the Kunstkammer. In 1857 it was removed to be placed among the crown regalia of Prussia. It has been subjected to much alteration during the XVIth century.

Reputed to have belonged to Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy

Imperial Treasury, Vienna

The next sword of importance is what is known as the Hessian sword (Fig. 719). It was given by Pope Innocent VIII to the Landgraf, William I of Hesse, on Christmas day, 1491, on the occasion of his return from the Holy Land. Account books in the Vatican show that it was made either by Hieronymus de Sutri or by Jacopo Magnolino; both of these silversmiths worked for Pope Innocent VIII from 1487 to 1492. The sword is to be seen to-*day in the Royal Museum at Cassel.

The next ceremonial sword of importance (Fig. 720) is known as the "Pomeranian" sword, and was originally given to the Duke Bogislaw X of