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Sword: HEN.M.193-1933

Object information

Current Location: Gallery 31 (Armoury)

Maker(s)

Production: Unknown (Probably)

Entities

Categories

Description

Sword. Fig-shaped pommel. No button. Long shaped grip of wood covered with thin leather. Long, arched quillons of circular section, narrowing toward the tips and ending in wider knobs en suite with the pommel. Large, D-shaped outer ring-guard; two short branches form the ends of each of which springs a counter-guard curving outward and then back to join the ring-guard. Back-guard of one bar. Back-edged blade of very flat triangular section.
The blade has no marks, and is in poor (though not excavated) condition. The hilt is effective but crudely made, much corroded. The (original) grip consists of a wooden core, bound with fine cord over which is a covering of thin leather. This leather covering once extended downwards over the ecusson to form a rain-guard over the top of the scabbard. Some traces of this rain-guard survive.

Notes

History note: Unknown before testator, 'Abbotsford', Downs Road, St Helen's Park, Hastings, Sussex,

Legal notes

J.S. Henderson Bequest

Measurements and weight

Length: 125.5 cm
Weight: 1.27 kg

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1933-03-16) by Henderson, James Stewart

Dating

16th Century
Production date: circa AD 1530

Note

German or ?Swiss

This hilt type does not appear in Vesey Norman's exhaustive typology of hilts. There is a similar though plainer one in the Schweizerischen Landesmuseum in Zürich (Inv. No. LM16994) illustrated in 'Griffwaffen', vol. 1 of that Museum, no. 178, p. 127.

This sword has a single-edged blade and a wooden hilt, covered in leather and bound with fine twine. The long hilt allowed a hand-and-a-half sword to be held with both hands when great force was needed. After about 1400, the quillons (cross guard) often curved towards the blade and had ring guards to protect the forefinger.

Components of the work

Grip composed of wood (plant material) Length 20 cm
Blade Length 99 cm
Quillons Width 25.4 cm

Materials used in production

Steel

Techniques used in production

Casting (process) : Sword, cast

Inscription or legends present

  • Text: 193H.1933. D=6 c/4. B 168
  • Type: Tag

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: HEN.M.193-1933
Primary reference Number: 18860
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Monday 19 April 2021 Last processed: Friday 8 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/18860 Accessed: 2024-11-25 03:14:47

Citation for Wikipedia

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{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/18860 |title=Sword |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-25 03:14:47|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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