● On view now — Gallery 239
Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · verified July 2026
FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG
Stiff-bladed swords or estocs were designed to pierce through the joints or gaps of plate armor. They were often kept on the front of the saddle of a well-equipped man-at-arms and used as an auxiliary weapon in addition to an arming sword, war hammer, or mace. This example has a triple-edged blade that is triangular in cross-section with hollow ground or fluted sides, features that make the blade both ridged and light.
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German; Dresden — Parrying Dagger
Hilt: German or possibly Austrian (Innsbruck)
Blade: German
Probably Italian — Rapier
Probably German — Two-Handed Sword
Hilt: 19th century in mid-16th century Swiss style
Blade: Ge
Northern German, Brunswick — Two-Handed Sword for the Bodygu
Hilt: German
Blade: Western Europe
Pommel: Possibly English
Western European, probably Solingen or Passau, Germany — Thr
Italian — Combined Brandistock and Musket Rest
German or Swiss — Sabre (Kriegsmesser)
German, possibly Munich — Two-Handed Sword
Melchior Diefstetter — Composite Sword