On loan to The Met The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.

Blade of a Viking Sword

Anglo-Saxon

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 373

Found at Sittingbourne (in Kent, United Kingdom), this blade's distinctive design is the result of pattern-welding, a technique of forging a blade from stacked and intertwined rods of steel and iron. This produces hard yet flexible blades with complex and varied patterns, treasured for both their strength and beauty.

Blade of a Viking Sword, Steel, iron, Anglo-Saxon

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