#antique sword

[pleasespellchimerical]

hey does anyone know anything about swords?

my coworker found this in a toolbox that’d belonged to her grandfather

It’s a single edge. Hilt is the same wood as the scabbard

Construction of the scabbard is gorgeous. One thick layer of wood, carved out to fit the blade, and attached to a thin layer of wood using tiny little pegs. 

Both the sword and scabbard have decorative braidwork on them. It’s a very utilitarian piece, but no less beautiful. 

Other coworker and I agree it’s likely middle eastern. Said grandfather did not travel and was not in the military, but lived in san francisco for a bit, so could’ve possibly acquired it there.

[dynogone]

Presentations - Antony Cribb 12-13 Jul 2022,

[antiquesfreaks]

Our friends Paris and Chris from the Terrible Book Club podcast join Dee to discuss the scoundrels who fooled Antiques Roadshow with a phony American Civil War sword appraisal - and more!

(Warning for discussions of child endangerment and death.)

[memories-of-ancients]

Sword of Justice from Solingen, Germany, circa 1670-1700.

[1five1two]

Celtic Silver Mounted Lapis Lazuli Studded Bronze Sword. 6th Century BC?.

[zegalba]

Consecrated sword presented by Pope Innocent XI to John III Sobieski - 'Lion of Lechistan' (1675)

[vintagehomecollection]

Interior Visions: Great American Designers and the Showcase House, 1988

[peashooter-in-exile]

Basket hilted sword, France, mid 18th century

from Czerny's International Auction House

[shakespear-esque]

Jeweled medici dagger, ca. 1840

[peashooter85]

English smallsword with blued steel hilt, 18th century

from Sofe Design Auction

[blue-and-gilt]

Early 18th Century Venetian 'Schiavona' Sword

The Schiavona is an iconic basket-hilted sword that was closely associated with the Italian city state of Venice. The earliest examples are believed to have come from an elite body of Slavic soldiers hired by the Venetian council, and date back as far as the late 16th Century.

Schiavona are identified by their unique basket hilts and 'cats head' pommels. The renowned sword historian and author, Ewart Oakeshott grouped the schiavona basket hilts into two broad categories, the simplified Type 1 with it's broad flat bars, and the Type 2 of lattice work design.

They Type 1 hilt began to appear around the early 1600's and the first Type 2 between 1620 and 1630. Type 1's remained in use for most of the 17th Century after which Type 2 hilts became dominant.

Over the life of schiavona swords, (1600 - 1797) their hilts became increasingly complex and ornate as they became associated with the character of Venice, with the upper levels of society also carrying their own schiavonas.

Based on the features of the hilt, this sword most likely dates to 1710 - 1740. The iron pommel and 93 cm blade suggest that it is of munitions grade and was likely carried by a regular cavalry man.

Stats: Overall Length - 1,075 mm Blade Length - 930 mm Point of Balance - 165 mm Grip Length - 135 mm Inside Grip Length - 94 mm Weight - 1,090 grams

[illustratus]

The Sword of Damocles by Richard Westall

[dynogone]

[gemville]

Ruby and Diamond Brooch Designed As A Sword, Circa 1890

Source: Pinterest

[memories-of-ancients]

Sudanese kaskara, 19th century

from Sofe Design Auctions

[paganimagevault]

Sassanid sword with two straps 7th C. CE. Medium: Blade: iron; scabbard and hilt: gold over wood, garnets, glass-paste; guard: gilt-bronze. Dimensions: 3 1/8 × 40 9/16 × 15/16 in. (8 × 103 × 2.4 cm). Accession Number: 65.28a, b.

"Kings of the Sasanian period (224–651 A.D.) are almost always depicted with a sword suspended from the belt, a motif appropriate to the victor in combat. This iron sword with a gold-covered wooden scabbard is a splendid example of the type adopted by the Sasanians from the Hunnish nomads who roamed Europe and Asia in the sixth and seventh centuries, shortly before the beginning of the Islamic era. It has a long and narrow grip with two finger rests, and the scabbard has a pair of P-shaped projections to which two straps of different lengths were originally attached. The straps held the sword suspended from the warrior's belt in such a way that it could easily be drawn even by a warrior on horseback.

The sword itself is inlaid with garnets and glass, and a pattern of overlapping feathers decorates the surface. That a similar pattern can be seen on the helmet of a Sasanian warrior has led scholars to suggest it may be symbolic of the Zoroastrian God of victory, Verethragna. Several other swords of this type are known, some mounted in gold, some in silver. Stylistically and technically, they are all very similar, although the present example is by far the most elaborate of the group."

-taken from Met Museum