Very Large Germanic War Hammer Circa 1580

Weapon hammers, or war hammers, are rare on the market, and their price is always relatively high. This can be dated to the end of the 16th century, or the early first half of the 17th century. These weapons, often unknown to the general public, were widely used in combat, in the Poland-Hungary zone, and also in the rest of the sphere of defense under  Germanic influence.
During a melee between two cavalry corps, they proved much more practical than swords, allowing a very rapid resumption of the blow when the enemy had been missed by a first movement. Our example, entirely in iron and steel, is probably of German origin.
Its main characteristic is its unusual size, but these proportions are very comparable to the hammer represented in the portrait of Maurice de Saxe in 1578.
Head of the hammer: on one side it has a flat part, which is the hammer itself, very effective on the smooth parts of armor, and on the other the long point, called "bec de corbin" which on the one hand could be used like all weapon hammers, to slip into the joints of the armor, but also allowed, by the finesse of its end, to pass through the rings of the chain mail to separate them and even inflict wounds through them.
The handle is riveted to the top of the hammer head by a very large riveting button, which forms the center of a decorative flower.
Suspension hook: it is fixed directly to the handle of the hammer, using 2 rivets. It is relatively long and ends with a small petal decoration.
Hammer handle: It starts near the handle with a rectangular section, then square, then the handle becomes twisted all the way to the hammer head. Grip: It is oval, with an iron guard intended to protect the hand on each side. These guards are each decorated with an iron flower on their exterior face. The part where the grip takes place is covered in leather, patinated and hardened.

This beautiful historical object, due to its length, feels a little heavy when held, although its total weight is only 1kg.100. It must have probably belonged to a fairly imposing man and we can imagine that during a large arm movement its effectiveness must have been frightening. Its solidity and age are evident Its astonishing proportions are very comparable to those of the model represented in the portrait of Maurice de Saxe 1578, which serves as the cover for the excellent book that I recommend "war hammer, the forgotten weapon"
Shipping costs France = free, Western Europe = 30€,
Ref 2Y-21XX