Scabbards in sculpture, 1100-1350

Selected examples of sword scabbards in sculpture in the period 1100-1350.

Mostly from Germany, Poland and Italy.

Sword scabbards in medieval sculpture are an excellent example of artistic craftsmanship, understanding of style and a source for reconstruction. They are full of details, show spatial form and colors (sometimes in later styles but still referring to the period). We see here excellent examples that allow for quite faithful interpretation.
The most famous examples are, of course, the sculptures in Naumburg Cathedral, Germany. However, as you can see, other examples show a very similar style in this period, which mainly concerns the 13th century.
The last 3 examples show a scabbard with a buckle belt. The remaining ones are tied (so-called 'dragon`s tongue').
We see a perfectly representative style here, the stripes are usually wide, then increasingly narrower. The belt is integrated (woven into scabbard leather), offset, which positions the sword at an angle on the hip. The X pattern created by the straps on the front part of the scabbard is characteristic. All scabbards have triangular collars, which is of course not a rule, but the most common form of this detail.
Scabbards are almost undecorated, although we occasionally encounter ornamentation in this period (more often in manuscripts).
Not all scabbards have a chape either. Belt fittings appear together with buckles, but this is not a rule.
Many stylistic elements were used in parallel, some appeared, others disappeared.
Here we see part of the evolution of scabbards and belts.