Boarding Sword

Cultureprobably Italian (Venice)

Dateabout 1500–1525

MediumSteel, wood

Dimensions6 × 86 × 19 cm (2 3/8 × 33 7/8 × 7 1/2 in.), 3 lb, 3 oz (weight)

ClassificationsArms and Armor

Credit LineThe John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection

Terms

Object number2014.93

DescriptionBroad straight, single-edged blade. It is drawn into a double-edged, elongated, ogival central point which terminates in a reinforced thrusting tip of quadrangular section. The back edge is finished in a series of 45-degree bevels that reverse direction from the blade shoulder to the top. The cutting edge is formed with six deep "sawteeth", each of which has beveled cutting edges; their spacing is overall broader toward the hilt, narrower toward the tip. Both the beveled edges of the teeth and the back edge retain traces of grinding marks, which can also be seen on the blade. At the shoulder of the blade, the tang is formed as a long, thick ricasso of rectangular section; the ricasso is significantly thicker than the blade. There are no visible bladesmith’s marks.

The polished iron or steel hilt is rather simple, with a bifurcated forward crossguard extending straight from the quillon-block, one branch curved down to form a semi-circular arm of the hilt, and the other curving outward and upward to form a knuckle guard. These branches are of more-or-less elliptical section, that of the arm having a five-sided, squared-off terminal notched to rest against the edge of the blade at the shoulder, and the other finished as beveled bilobated “fish tails.” The rear guard is straight nearly to its end, where it is sharply turned at a right angle toward the blade. The knuckle-guard terminal rests in a shallow notch cut into the lower side of the pommel. The line of the grip and pommel angles slightly toward the knuckle-guard. The slot in the crossguard for the blade is larger than the blade itself.

In profile, the pommel is irregularly shield-shaped, reminiscent of the early forms associated with schiavone. It is lenticular in section. It has a flat bottom with a moulded, necked base, convex sides, and is drawn up in a medial, blunted cusp at the top, through which the tang of the blade passes and is peened over. The peening is awkward, and likely reflects a reassembly of the components.

The short, single-handed grip appears to be original. It has a spiraled, wooden core tapering to the pommel, and is wire-wrapped with twisted iron wire, over which a pair of twisted wires is spirally wrapped. There are braided Turks heads at top and bottom.

The inner side of the arm of the hilt terminal retains traces of copper or brass braising, which may be an old repair to a broken guard.
Label TextThis sword looks mean, but the fierce teeth are for tearing fiber, not flesh. The weapon is designed for naval use. Its short length made it suitable for fighting in the tight spaces of shipboard combat, and its flat profile was ideal for storage in a sea-chest. The saw-toothed edge was useful for chopping the ropes on an enemy’s ship—it also has a ridged back for cutting lighter ropes. The reinforced point was designed for use against the light body armor often worn by Renaissance sailors and marines.ProvenanceJ.M. Soyter (Munich) W. Riggs (Paris) Metropolitan Museum of Art (ex acc. no. 14.25.1107) purchased from Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc. (NYC) on November 15, 1956, sale #1708, lot #132. Collection transfer from Higgins Armory, January 2014.

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