Basket-hilted Sword

Bladesmith Blade by Johannes Wundes the Younger German

blade dated 1662

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 376

English hilts of this type, with chiseled ornament featuring portrait medallions, are often referred to as mortuary swords. The term seems to be an invention of nineteenth-century collectors and refers to a supposed likeness between King Charles I (executed in 1649) and the portrait medallions on the hilts.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Exhibition History

References

Title: Basket-hilted Sword
Bladesmith: Blade by Johannes Wundes the Younger (Germany, Solingen, active mid-17th century)
Date: blade dated 1662
Culture: hilt, British; blade, German
Medium: Steel, wood, silver
Dimensions: L. 39 7/8 in. (101.3 cm); L. of blade 34 1/4 in. (87 cm); W. 5 in. (12.7 cm); Wt. 2 lb. 6 oz. (1077 g)
Classification: Swords
Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1909
Object Number: 09.210.2
Curatorial Department: Arms and Armor

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Cross Hilt Sword, Clemens Horn German, Iron, silver, wood, copper alloy, steel, gold, hilt, British, London; blade, German, Solingen — Cross Hilt Sword
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Hunting Sword with Scabbard, Joseph Deutschmann German, Steel, silver, ivory, wood, leather, German, possibly Munich — Hunting Sword with Scabbard
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Basket-Hilted Sword, Steel, silver, British — Basket-Hilted Sword
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Smallsword with Scabbard, Master GG French, Gold, steel, wood, fish skin, French, Paris — Smallsword with Scabbard
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