A composite Basket-hilted Broadsword, second half 17th centu...

Hammer

£1,400

A composite Basket-hilted Broadsword, second half 17th century, with rapier blade cut with narrow fullers flanking a central fuller over the forte, the latter with traces of a stamped inscription, iron basket-guard involving a slender knuckle-guard flanked on both sides by pairs of shorter saltire bars converging on a small oval shield supported at their centre, original compressed pommel cut with triple linear bands, and later wooden grip (blade associated, the hilt a poor fit), blade length 87cm

Note: The basket-guard type is characterised by its small shields and by the pronounced indentations created at the sides between the supporting ends of the saltire bars, to which the shields are joined. Typologically this type of hilt falls within the broad ‘Twysden’ style. For two closely related examples see Mazansky, British Basket-Hilted Swords, p.81, D10