The Sword of a Viking Chief

[Pierre Tavlitzki]

It is a bad tendency to despise the historic peoples that have left few direct traces, or that have too much demonstrated their brutality. For the Merovingians, the character of the legendary goldsmith St Eloi reminds us the level of luxury which was practised by the kings of this dynasty.

The artefacts from the Vikings are rare at auction. With a starting price of € 15 K, Hermann Historica presents a Viking sword of the ninth or tenth century in its sale in Munich on April 24.

As you can imagine, this straight weapon 92 cm long displays an impressive power. The blade tapered at both edges is mounted on a riveted pommel. This object from archaeological find has retained its military appearance, but the decoration is less resilient. However, there are still some vestiges of inclusions of silver and copper on the pommel and quillons.

[Pierre Tavlitzki]

Unsold. It is difficult to know if this sword was too unusual, or simply too expensive.