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Sword: O.93-1879

Object information

Current Location: In storage

Maker(s)

Maker: Unknown

Entities

Categories

Description

The steel blade is straight and single edged, narrowing towards the point, with a flat back accompanied by three fullers. The hilt, of old Hindu basket form, comprises a figure-8 guard with cusps at the waist, angled across the centre, with cusped wings secured by heavy staples to the guard, and heavy reinforces almost the full width of the blade and secured by a single rivets in flower-bud terminals. The guard is extended into a wide knucklebow decorated with a single groove at either side. The thin grip is swells to the centre, and retains fragments of its original leather binding. There is a broad, shallow dish pommel inside which is a broad low dome with a long spike finial, slightly curved, enabling the sword to be used with two hands. The hilt is covered with black paint, the blade polished bright and pitted from earlier corrosion

Notes

History note: Probably from the Tanjore armoury, broken up in 1860 (see documentation Elgood 2004)

Legal notes

Given by Robert Taylor, MA

Measurements and weight

Blade Length: 85.2 cm
Overall Length: 106.5 cm
Weight: 1365 g

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Given (1879) by Taylor, Robert, MA

Dating

17th Century#
Circa 1600 CE - 1700 CE

Note

Taylor describes as ‘two-handed sword’.

Components of the work

Blade composed of steel

Inscription or legends present

  • Text: 93
  • Method of creation: Inscribed
  • Type: Tag

Inscription present: Fragmentary letters of the original European blade smith’s inscription are visible in the fullers.

Inscription present: adhesive

  • Text: 93
  • Method of creation: Printed
  • Type: Label

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: O.93-1879
Primary reference Number: 158408
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Tuesday 25 February 2020 Last processed: Thursday 7 December 2023

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Sword" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/158408 Accessed: 2024-11-25 07:15:53

Citation for Wikipedia

To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:

{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/158408 |title=Sword |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-25 07:15:53|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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