Skip to main content

Two-handed sword: HEN.M.197-1933

Object information

Current Location: Gallery 31 (Armoury)

Maker(s)

Production: Unknown

Entities

Categories

Description

Two-handed sword, straight quillons, etched flamboyant blade,

Acquisition and important dates

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

Dating

17th Century, Early#
Production date: circa AD 1600

Note

This flamboyantly bladed sword was used by the German mercenaries called Landsknechts who gripped the hilt with both hands to fight. The steel blade has etched decoration, and the ricasso- the section between the hilt and the blade proper – is covered with leather and reinforced with steel studs. Very long and decorative swords were also often used for ceremonial purposes, carried upright in front of important people in processions.

Components of the work

Decoration

Materials used in production

Steel

Techniques used in production

Casting (process) : Sword, cast, with etched flamboyant decoration on the blade

Identification numbers

Accession number: HEN.M.197-1933
Primary reference Number: 18871
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Monday 19 April 2021 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) "Two-handed sword" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/18871 Accessed: 2024-11-15 10:27:52

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/18871 |title=Two-handed sword |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-15 10:27:52|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

API call for this record

To call these data via our API (remember this needs to be authenticated) you can use this code snippet:

https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-18871

Sign up for updates

Updates about future exhibitions and displays, family activities, virtual events & news. You'll be the first to know...