Swept-Hilt Sword

Culture English

Cultureblade German

Dateabout 1610

Mediumsteel with silver and gold inlay

Dimensions102.9 × 86 cm (40 1/2 × 33 7/8 in.), 2 lb, 6 oz (weight)

ClassificationsArms and Armor

MarkingsRunning Wolf in fuller on both sides.

Credit LineThe John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection

Terms

Object number2014.337

DescriptionThe sword has a 33¾ in long, double-edged blade with a short fuller on each side, bearing the “running wolf” and two cross-marks. The blade is of lenticular cross-section, with a robust rectangular-section ricasso. The guards are of flat stock. Large globose pommel. There is a loop for a tassel in the pommel adjacent to the contact point for the knuckleguard. The knuckleguard has come dislodged from its recess on the pommel.

Gold damascening is present on the hilt, pommel, and ricasso, now very worn. There are inlaid silver bands along the edges of the guards. The hilt and pommel are encrusted with silver busts in low relief, framed by silver scrolls.

Restored grip. There are silver-inlaid words on the edges of the ricasso, now very difficult to read.

17cm across the quillons, 13cm across the guard.
Label TextNo gentleman in Elizabethan London would dream of leaving the house without an elegant sword strapped by his side. This example, recently acquired by the Higgins, was owned by an Englishman of both taste and means. The blade is stamped with the “running wolf” mark used by the blademakers of the German city of Passau, but the hilt and decorations were made in England. Look closely to see the traces of the original “damascene” decoration. Damascening involved chiseling the surface of the metal, then inlaying it with gold and silver wire to produce a decorative pattern. For added sparkle, the hilt is dotted with busts of Roman emperors, sculpted in silver to imitate the look of classical marbles. The spherical pommel is a bit larger than it really needs to be: it is there to provide more decorative surface to impress onlookers. This sword was fully functional as a weapon, but it was designed more to turn heads than to slice necks.ProvenancePurchased through Ian Eaves (London) on August 18, 2011. Collection transfer from Higgins Armory, January 2014.

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