Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - A 17th century sword with a lionheaded pommel for comment .

Jim McDougall · 30th November 2016, 06:06 AM

Interesting hilt, and very similar to the felddegen posted on the other thread of c. 1610-50. The pierced plate in the bilobate guard with open ring reverse and thumb ring are reminiscent of this, but the blade suggests probably a court or dress sword, particularly as the ring in the lions mouth and aperture on quillon are likely for chain.

The lionhead pommel is most unusual and I think mostly of the 18th century British swords with these. However, we know that lion heads were indeed in use in the Continent as well, and in Holland in the 17th c.

In the work by Van der Sloot & Kist ("Some Facts Concerning Sword Hilts at Hoorn around the Year 1650", p.15; plate VI) there is an image of sword of Sgt. Jon Groote in a painting, c. 1655, which has a gold colored lion head pommel. It is noted that these kinds of lion heads were applied to 'swords of honor' awarded to deserving commanders in the Admiralty in those times. However perhaps wider presentation and variation I would think may have also been the case.

While this sword is clearly not as elaborate as the one illustrated in the previous reference, it does seem to support the idea of this being a dress or parade sword of a military officer or ranking civil official, probably of mid to third quarter 17th c. In "Blanke Wapens" (J.P. Puype, 1981, p.10) there is an illustration of a strikingly similar configured sword in use, but with standard orb type pommel. In the same book, the fixtures for attaching chain from quillon to pommel is shown and noted mid 17th century.

I cannot make out the inscriptions on the blade, but the sword wielding arm issuing from a cloud is a known symbolic from a number of German blades, and heraldic device from a number of countries. The arm holding a sword is associated with Munich sword maker Christoph Stantler (as referenced by Jasper) as well as Peter Munich, but neither issue out of cloud. Still these clouded sword arms are seen on other German blades seen but not noted further.

So I would say Dutch officers court or parade sword mid to third Q. 17th c.

30th November 2016, 06:06 AM	#2
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 9,738	Interesting hilt, and very similar to the felddegen posted on the other thread of c. 1610-50. The pierced plate in the bilobate guard with open ring reverse and thumb ring are reminiscent of this, but the blade suggests probably a court or dress sword, particularly as the ring in the lions mouth and aperture on quillon are likely for chain. The lionhead pommel is most unusual and I think mostly of the 18th century British swords with these. However, we know that lion heads were indeed in use in the Continent as well, and in Holland in the 17th c. In the work by Van der Sloot & Kist ("Some Facts Concerning Sword Hilts at Hoorn around the Year 1650", p.15; plate VI) there is an image of sword of Sgt. Jon Groote in a painting, c. 1655, which has a gold colored lion head pommel. It is noted that these kinds of lion heads were applied to 'swords of honor' awarded to deserving commanders in the Admiralty in those times. However perhaps wider presentation and variation I would think may have also been the case. While this sword is clearly not as elaborate as the one illustrated in the previous reference, it does seem to support the idea of this being a dress or parade sword of a military officer or ranking civil official, probably of mid to third quarter 17th c. In "Blanke Wapens" (J.P. Puype, 1981, p.10) there is an illustration of a strikingly similar configured sword in use, but with standard orb type pommel. In the same book, the fixtures for attaching chain from quillon to pommel is shown and noted mid 17th century. I cannot make out the inscriptions on the blade, but the sword wielding arm issuing from a cloud is a known symbolic from a number of German blades, and heraldic device from a number of countries. The arm holding a sword is associated with Munich sword maker Christoph Stantler (as referenced by Jasper) as well as Peter Munich, but neither issue out of cloud. Still these clouded sword arms are seen on other German blades seen but not noted further. So I would say Dutch officers court or parade sword mid to third Q. 17th c.