SWORD

An incomplete cast copper-alloy fragment of a sword guard dating to the Post-Medieval period, c. 1550-1650. The fragment consists the mid-point of the rear loop or 'sweepings', which would originally have sat perpendicular to (yet proud from) the handle and quillion block in order to protect the back of the hand and wrist. Above this section the guard would have originally swept upwards to form the elongated convex knuckle guard, while below it would have turned inwards so as to merge with the lateral loops, front arm and side-ring. In plan view the fragment is an elongated 'S' shape while being broadly circular sectioned. At each end a relatively irregular truncation is visible, which due to their nature and patination imply that breakage took place syn or post-deposition. The middle of the fragment is composed of a prominent circular-sectioned collar with four prominent knops equally spaced around its diameter. To either side of this the piece abruptly thins so as to give a waisted appearance, with a central transverse ridge on both sides dividing the two sections roughly in half. These thinner sections are themselves followed by the propagation of the arms, which take the form of flowering buds or devolved acanthus flowers in high relief, further decorated through the application of incised lines and triangular motifs. From these specific elements a single arm projects on each side, with the longer example around three times the length of the shorter. These demonstrate bevelled facetting around their circumferences, giving them a hexagonal appearance when viewed in section. When viewed from either side one curves upwards and the other downwards, though it is now impossible to ascertain which would have formed the lower guard and which would have curved into the upper knuckle-guard.

Preserved in extremely good condition with an even green patina, the guard measures 72.88mm in total length, with the shorter arm surviving to a length of 25.92mm and the longer at 35.74mm. The truncated ends of the arms measure 6.01 and 5.83mm thick by 7.05 and 7.38mm wide, the acanthus elements are 13.16mm thick/12.42 wide and 12.08mm thick/12.40 wide respectively, while the central knopped collar attains a maximum thickness of 14.62mm and a width of 6.42mm. The object weighs 41.1 grammes.

Similar guards with sections virtually identical to this example are visible on a number of swords within the Wallace collection, in particular catalogue nos. 554 and 586. Examples of this particular style and form seem to predominate particularly on swept-hilt rapiers of the later 16th and early 17th centuries. No parallels are recorded on the PAS database.