Wolves and cutlers

urbanspaceman · Today, 10:48 AM

Here's something I picked up on Jim, outside of the Hunting Hangar thread's purpose:
"In Hounslow Johann Kindt 1630-40 used the running wolf...."
Much debate has attended the issue of the Wolf appearing on Hounslow blades suggesting imports from Germany; I have always maintained that Solingen smiths everywhere were entitled to use the Wolf as a quality mark.
Again, staying with the wolf theme: I have always understood that the use of the Wolf by Solingen was originally due to their supply to the city of Passau. There does not seem to be any indication, that I have seen (limited of course), to indicate that Passau produced their own blades, and if they did, were they marked with the Wolf, which originally was a mark for the city. It crossed my mind that perhaps Passau was like Koln in being a market of cutlers.
This brings me to another issue I have wondered about: during the period they were using the Wolf, did Solingen hilt as well as produce blades. I've searched through Bezdek's listings, and compared with all of the other trades, cutlers represent an extremely small percentage of the family names to the extent that over 90% of the blade output must have left Solingen un-hilted. Obviously the city developed into a world of full-service factories but not much earlier than the 1800s.
This leads me to a serious curiosity regarding Koln and those other market cities: is there any written history of the metalworking industries in these cities pre. 1800s?
I came across this issue in researching such activities in Rotterdam but did not get very far.
If these cities were hilting the enormous output of blades from Solingen then there must have been huge industrial complexes there. Does anyone know?

Jim McDougall · Today, 06:09 PM

Great questions Keith, and ones I have pondered for many years. In more passim 'plowing' through references, I cannot cite exact sources in most of this, but can likely find them at task.
As far as I have understood, the running wolf was actually a guild mark awarded to knife makers in Passau by I think the Archduke in the 14th c. or to that effect. Passau was a kind of center where the landsknechts, mercenary soldiers mingled and were sought by various principalities and states to augment forces as required. The wolf indeed did become the mark for the city, but I am not clear on which came first.

While armorers were essentially overall suppliers of not just armor, but all forms of weaponry, it is unclear whether they produced sword blades. If they did, the markings were unclear as were names of makers. I have yet to see a blade marked with Passau wolf and a known Passau makers name. I think Wagner (1967) noted that blades made in Solingen for a certain German ruler that were destined for assembly in Passau were marked with the running wolf...rather as a 'brand', as with the ANDREA FERARA destined for the Scots, and SAHAGUM for North Europe clientele.

I have seen no evidence in any of the compendiums of the so called Passau wolf used on definitively Passau blades. I have yet to see any knife blade with the wolf either, but would be thrilled to see this in context.

It seems that the Passau wolf, much like the cross and orb and some other devices, were not ever related to guilds in Solingen, but indeed over time had a qualified presumption of quality. The actual beginnings of these ubiquitous marks were however more aligned with talismanic and sometimes religious connotation. The familiar anchors, crosses, and obviously cross and orb are the religiously oriented marks.

As mentioned, in most cases the blades were indeed produced in a number of
locations or one large center such as Solingen where these were sent to locations which were trade or metropolitan cities. Here local cutlers mounted them into the preferred hilts and mounts for local commerce. In many cases the blades remained unmounted to trade networks to various other spheres.

I think Solingen eventually had local cutlers and artisans to mount and engrave or mark blades as required, but the various shops also produced for large orders for varied clientele. While Koln was the key location where swords were mounted and sold, in earlier times rather than Solingen, most of these German swords were called 'Koln swords'.

In Italy, the shops in Belluno, and several others, the blades were sent to Milan or Brescia for mounting. Other centers such as Lucca etc. went to Genoa, the port of departure , hence all deemed 'Genoan' swords.

In Spain the Toledo blades typically ended up out of Bilbao in the north, and several local towns there hilted them with familiar blade forms, hence the term 'bilbo' for Spanish swords in late 16th century on.

With Rotterdam, this was a center and departure port for Solingen blades, but many swords for Dutch East India Co. were assembled there as well.It is known that makers from Solingen not only went to England but to Holland, Spain, Russia, France and Sweden in the early 17th century.
There must be works on these metalworking histories but not much specific in English as far as I know.

Pretty haphazard synopsis, but all I can do at this point from my shaky memory.

I hope others better informed will come in......corrections welcomed!!!

Today, 10:48 AM	#1
urbanspaceman Member Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Tyneside. North-East England Posts: 685	Wolves and cutlers Here's something I picked up on Jim, outside of the Hunting Hangar thread's purpose: "In Hounslow Johann Kindt 1630-40 used the running wolf...." Much debate has attended the issue of the Wolf appearing on Hounslow blades suggesting imports from Germany; I have always maintained that Solingen smiths everywhere were entitled to use the Wolf as a quality mark. Again, staying with the wolf theme: I have always understood that the use of the Wolf by Solingen was originally due to their supply to the city of Passau. There does not seem to be any indication, that I have seen (limited of course), to indicate that Passau produced their own blades, and if they did, were they marked with the Wolf, which originally was a mark for the city. It crossed my mind that perhaps Passau was like Koln in being a market of cutlers. This brings me to another issue I have wondered about: during the period they were using the Wolf, did Solingen hilt as well as produce blades. I've searched through Bezdek's listings, and compared with all of the other trades, cutlers represent an extremely small percentage of the family names to the extent that over 90% of the blade output must have left Solingen un-hilted. Obviously the city developed into a world of full-service factories but not much earlier than the 1800s. This leads me to a serious curiosity regarding Koln and those other market cities: is there any written history of the metalworking industries in these cities pre. 1800s? I came across this issue in researching such activities in Rotterdam but did not get very far. If these cities were hilting the enormous output of blades from Solingen then there must have been huge industrial complexes there. Does anyone know?

Today, 06:09 PM	#2
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,452	Great questions Keith, and ones I have pondered for many years. In more passim 'plowing' through references, I cannot cite exact sources in most of this, but can likely find them at task. As far as I have understood, the running wolf was actually a guild mark awarded to knife makers in Passau by I think the Archduke in the 14th c. or to that effect. Passau was a kind of center where the landsknechts, mercenary soldiers mingled and were sought by various principalities and states to augment forces as required. The wolf indeed did become the mark for the city, but I am not clear on which came first. While armorers were essentially overall suppliers of not just armor, but all forms of weaponry, it is unclear whether they produced sword blades. If they did, the markings were unclear as were names of makers. I have yet to see a blade marked with Passau wolf and a known Passau makers name. I think Wagner (1967) noted that blades made in Solingen for a certain German ruler that were destined for assembly in Passau were marked with the running wolf...rather as a 'brand', as with the ANDREA FERARA destined for the Scots, and SAHAGUM for North Europe clientele. I have seen no evidence in any of the compendiums of the so called Passau wolf used on definitively Passau blades. I have yet to see any knife blade with the wolf either, but would be thrilled to see this in context. It seems that the Passau wolf, much like the cross and orb and some other devices, were not ever related to guilds in Solingen, but indeed over time had a qualified presumption of quality. The actual beginnings of these ubiquitous marks were however more aligned with talismanic and sometimes religious connotation. The familiar anchors, crosses, and obviously cross and orb are the religiously oriented marks. As mentioned, in most cases the blades were indeed produced in a number of locations or one large center such as Solingen where these were sent to locations which were trade or metropolitan cities. Here local cutlers mounted them into the preferred hilts and mounts for local commerce. In many cases the blades remained unmounted to trade networks to various other spheres. I think Solingen eventually had local cutlers and artisans to mount and engrave or mark blades as required, but the various shops also produced for large orders for varied clientele. While Koln was the key location where swords were mounted and sold, in earlier times rather than Solingen, most of these German swords were called 'Koln swords'. In Italy, the shops in Belluno, and several others, the blades were sent to Milan or Brescia for mounting. Other centers such as Lucca etc. went to Genoa, the port of departure , hence all deemed 'Genoan' swords. In Spain the Toledo blades typically ended up out of Bilbao in the north, and several local towns there hilted them with familiar blade forms, hence the term 'bilbo' for Spanish swords in late 16th century on. With Rotterdam, this was a center and departure port for Solingen blades, but many swords for Dutch East India Co. were assembled there as well.It is known that makers from Solingen not only went to England but to Holland, Spain, Russia, France and Sweden in the early 17th century. There must be works on these metalworking histories but not much specific in English as far as I know. Pretty haphazard synopsis, but all I can do at this point from my shaky memory. I hope others better informed will come in......corrections welcomed!!!