Iron Dussack, c. 1550
Dussacken were probably the cheapest and most widespread kind of fencing weapon between the 15th and the 18th century. This is an excedingly rare iron sample from Germany…
Most Dussacken were made from wood. None, to my knowledge, survive today. A rare iron Dussack, dated to the early 16th century, was found at Nymburg, now in the Czech Republic. It was forged from one piece of metal, with a prolonged and curved blade c. 60cm long and weighing 600g.
The iron dussack above was recently added to the Amberger Collection. The blade lacks the curvature of the Czech sample. The weapon is 59.5cm long, including the handle (14cm). The rather thin gauge of the iron (the blade’s spine measures only 2.5mm, with a width of 5.7cm) makes the handling of the weapon quite awkward. Especially the flat, thin surface of the handle provided little purchase for the hand.
The narrow and equally thin knuckle-bar leaves most of the hand exposed… suggesting this particular weapon had to be used with a sturdy or even padded glove.
Length: 59.5cm
Handle: 14cm
Width: 5.7cm
Gauge: 2.5mm
Weight: 600g
[...] Französischen Revolution ab. Findet man bis zum Anfang des 18. Jahrhunders noch Abbildungen von Dussak-Fechtern (mit zum teil beidseitigen Armstulpen und turbanartigen Kopfumwicklungen), die sich [...]
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