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Lot 130
An Unusual English Silver-Hilted Small-Sword Maker's Mark Of Thomas 1 Foster, Circa 1770
23 July 2015, 10:30 BST
London, KnightsbridgeSold for £1,750 inc. premium
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Find your local specialistAn Unusual English Silver-Hilted Small-Sword
Maker's Mark Of Thomas 1 Foster, Circa 1770
Maker's Mark Of Thomas 1 Foster, Circa 1770
With sharply tapering blade of hollow diamond section (some light pitting), heavy gauge hilt cast and chased with scrolling foliage inhabited by birds and framing, on the slightly upturned ovoidal shell-guard, quillon-block and globular pommel, hounds pursuing boars and foxes against pierced and chased scrolling foliated tendrils, lobed quillons and knuckle-guard en suite, turned button finial, and grip bound with two thicknesses of twisted silver wire between plain and crimped silver ribbon
81.5 cm. blade
81.5 cm. blade
Footnotes
In 1773 Thomas 1 Foster (1745-80) was indentured to the sword cutler Thomas Croft of the Weavers' Company on 3 June 1745 and sworn free of the Weavers' by servitude on 18 June 1753. In 1773 he is listed as a 'Hilt Maker No. 16 King's Head Ct., Fetter Lane', and gave the same address when he entered his mark at Goldsmith's Hall in 1774. For more information see Leslie Southwick, London Silver-hilted Swords..., 2001, pp. 111-112








