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Unknown (Hilt)
Back sword. Tall poppy-head-shaped pommel, with well-formed button, of steel carved into the likeness of the opening petals of a flower with diagonally worked tendrils with eight trefoil heads above a neat scrolled collar. Grip of steel, widening slightly towards the back, decorated in the same manner as the pommel. Knuckle-guard, of square section at top and bottom, with two opposed swellings at midpoint to match the pommel. Single outside loop-guard of the same form and decoration as the knuckle-guard; enclosed within it is a triple-branched interior guard in the same style, the middle branch extending downward to protrude below the loop-guard. Massive rear quillon, sharply downturned at a right-angle, with a large terminal loop en suite with the pommel. At the back, a looped thumb-ring attached to a small decorative plate springing from the back of a very stout quillon-block of square section. This plate is decorated with four flame-shaped leaves carved à jour from the plate.
Straight blade of triangular section, the faces hollowed and back ridged. The cutting edge is wrought to an acute point by a gentle curve toward the perfectly straight back. The blade is decorated with delicate engraving; on the obverse a series of geometric 'doodled' forming a base to support an extremely thin classical figure, helmeted, plumed and carrying a walking-stick or yard. Above this is the legend IVNTILIA NUS ROM between scrolls. Above, a pestle and mortar with the words MEFECIT SOLINGEN between similar scrolls. The design is topped by an elaborate floral scrolling motif. On the reverse, a similar geometrical base supports a second figure in classical dress in an airy dancing pose holding aloft a sword in the right hand. Between scrolls, the word PARIS TRO, with a pestle and mortar above, with a second legend ENGEL LOBAG, with the terminal designs of the obverse repeated.
Norman, type 108. Pommel is a variant of pommel type 28.
History note: Mr James Stewart Henderson of 'Abbotsford', Downs Road, St Helen's Park, Hastings, Sussex
J.S. Henderson Bequest
Length: 96 cm
Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1933-03-16) by Henderson, James Stewart
17th Century, Mid#
Circa
1650
-
1660
The hilt is extravagantly carved and chiselled. The blade is engraved on one side with: a figure of a warrior, ‘IVNTILIA/NUS/ROM, a pestle and mortar and ME FECIT SOLING; the other with a warrior, ‘PARIS/TRO’, a pestle and mortar and ENGEL/LOBAG.
Western European
Sword
composed of
steel
Hilt
Length 17.5 cm
Width 11 cm
Blade
Length 79.3 cm
Width 2.3 cm
Decoration
Inscription present: between two scrolls
Inscription present: on a pestle and mortar between scrolls
Inscription present: between scrolls with a pestle and mortar above
Inscription present: with pestle and mortar
Accession number: HEN.M.222-1933
Primary reference Number: 18956
Old object number: B83
Stable URI
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Applied Arts
This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:
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IIIF Manifest
The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Backsword" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/18956 Accessed: 2024-11-05 19:40:12
To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:
{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/18956
|title=Backsword
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-05 19:40:12|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
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https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-18956
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<div class="text-center">
<figure class="figure">
<img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/aa/aa25/HEN_M_222_1933_281_29.jpg"
alt="Backsword"
class="img-fluid" />
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Backsword</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
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