Iain, I'd be inclined to say Peter's work is
highly plausible - I wouldn't say its absolutely right, solely because we cant be absolutely certain of it without a time machine, or a documented example (much like dr Robert Bork's study of plans for Cologne Cathedral, which still have the compass-holes in the parchment. That would be the holy grail for smiths and makers to lay to rest any doubts!). But I'd be comfortable with what's been studied enough to say that its certainly a likely process.
My initial concern with Peter's work was that it might have been 'over-thinking' much of it - some of the geometrical solutions were rather convoluted. The later iterations, particularly the elements placed in the Catalogue paper now include more "modular" systems for the creation of the primary structures, and the use of the interval, in the same mathematical principals as used in medieval music, are (despite my horribly bad explanation there) much more straightforward, and I personally think, far more likely as the processes the smiths would've used for creation based in geometry. Its distilled the principles down into methods that I think are more practical.
I'm not sure I'd call it a consensus, simply because we're yet to really get enough of a detailed methodology for how to assess blades for geometry, for other craftsmen and historians to really test it out. That'll come in time, I'm sure.
In the absence of photographs, Carl Koppeschaar has a Flikr album of the exhibition, which has photos of most of the cabinets; I hope there wont be any objection to linking to it:
Flickr Gallery - Das Schwert, Solingen
The exhibition itself is quite beautiful, the catalogue is a bit of a headache to get hold of outside of the exhibition currently - my copy was er... "interesting" to get hold of (I was there for the opening, but the catalogue was still at the printers), but eventually arrived and paid for with only a bit of headaches.
Amazon.de is listing the book under its German title, "Das Schwert: Gestalt und Gedanke", and though not available currently, hopefully it'll end up listed on amazon sooner or later for easier purchase.
As for the contents of the exhibition? Well, if you cant get there, in many ways I feel that the book is one of the most informative I've seen in years. Personally, there's a series of single-edged blades in it that I'm going to have to study in detail for my work, as well as some that are old friends familiar to me already, but the quality of the details presented in the book is such that I would in fact feel comfortable and confident to make a reproduction of one (or more) of those I've not handled, and still feel I've made an accurate replica. that's something I could never say for the likes of Oakeshott, or AVB Norman's works.
My only problem with it is its meant I've got to get my arse in gear and publish the single-edged typology as a full book now, or I'm going to be lynched.
