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Lot 58*

An English Silver-Hilted Small-Sword
London, Last Quarter Of The 17th Century

29 April 2010, 11:00 BST
London, Knightsbridge

Sold for £2,160 inc. premium

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An English Silver-Hilted Small-Sword
London, Last Quarter Of The 17th Century

With slender blade of flattened hexagonal section changing to flattened diamond, with a deep central fuller on each face of the forte stamped 'Francisco/Ruis En Toledo', the double shell-guard finely pierced and chased with foliated scrollwork within a reeded frame decorated at intervals with recessed mouldings between acanthus calyxes, rear quillon with acanthus bud terminal, reeded quillon-block, arms and pommel incorporating acanthus calyxes, later knuckle-guard with recessed central moulding, and original wooden grip bound with twisted silver wire
69.8 cm. blade

Footnotes

Provenance:
Christie's South Kensington, Fine Antique Arms and Armour, 12 December 1997, lot 32
Christie's London, Antique Arms and Militaria, 16 December 2003, lot 82

The form of pommel on this sword is dated by Norman to circa 1660-1710. The earliest known dated English silver hilt is on a sword of 1676/7 in the Victoria and Albert Museum (M153-1937). See A.V.B. Norman, The Rapier & Small-Sword, 1460-1820, 1980, p. 278, pommel 86; and Claude Blair, European and American Arms, 1962, pl. 148

Additional information

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