O.A.1873
What a fabulous photo of one of my favorite items in the Wallace collection! The reflections of the windows really bring the ambiance of this museum back to me - and I visit these galleries every time I visit London.
This sword is briefly discussed in: Oakeshott, R. Ewart, "Old Wine in New Bottles," Park Lane Arms Fair Catalogue 8 (1991), p. 18 - 21. Mr. Oakeshott dates the hilt as c. 1690 and the blade as a century earlier (the catalog dates it as possibly early 15th century); much of Mr. Oakeshott's discussion is centered upon the incompletely resolved question of whether the blade is of Spanish or German origin. The catalog describes the blade as 37 1/2 inches in length by 2 1/2 inches width at the hilt.
Even though much of the collection is ultra-richly decorated early 19th century, Wallace's buyers also acquired some really fine earlier examples!
There are a number of really fine European medieval swords in the next room...
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