Sword

Description This sword was surely made for a nobleman in the honor guard of Habsburg Archduke Ferdinand at Ambras Palace (Innsbruck, Austria): an identical one has been traced to that source. The marks of the maker Diefstetter and of Bavaria, where the blade was inspected, are on the blade. The rough surface and durability of shark skin provided a good grip.

Exhibitions

• Realms of Faith: Medieval and Byzantine Art from the Walters Art Museum. Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville. 2001-2002.
• Realms of Faith: Medieval and Byzantine Art from the Walters Art Museum. Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville. 2002-2005.

Provenance Arsenal at Innsbruck (?); De Cosson [date and mode of acquisition unknown] (?); Clements [date and mode of acquisition unknown] (?); Henry Griffith Keasbey, New York [date of acquisition unknown], by purchase; Sale, American Art Association, New York, December 5, 1924, no. 85; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1924 [mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Credit Acquired by Henry Walters, 1924