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A Cased Pair Of Scottish 50-Bore Percussion Duelling Or Target Pistols By Alex.r Martin, Glasgow, Mid-19th Century
The medals and associate ephemera and uniforms of Arthur Watts, 6th Inniskilling Dragoons
A Pair Of Highland All-Metal Percussion Belt Pistols Signed Paton & Walsh Perth, Mid 19th century
A Silver-Mounted Left-Hand Dagger, probably German, Italian or English Late 16th Century Or Later
FOUR REPRODUCTION CARVED POWDER HORNS/FLASKS.late 20th century.
THREE CARVED COCONUT ITEMS.18th/19th century.
A COLLECTION OF ANTIQUE AND REPRODUCTION POWDER FLASKS AND RELATED SPORTING ITEMS.
THREE VICTORIAN ARMS AND ARMOUR DECORATIVE ITEMS.
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Lot 155

A Rare English Backsword With Silver-Encrusted Hilt
Early 17th Century

Antique Arms, Armour & Modern Sporting Guns
23 May 2018, 10:30 BST
London, Knightsbridge

Sold for £11,250 inc. premium

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A Rare English Backsword With Silver-Encrusted Hilt
Early 17th Century

With fullered tapering blade (worn, some pitting) double-edged towards the point and retaining traces of etched decoration on each side of the forte, iron hilt of flattened bars comprising a recurved diagonal bar on the outside with central swelling and swept-up to join the knuckle-guard en suite, recurved quillons each swelling towards the top and with small pellet finial, downcurved arms, the outer one with up-bent projection en suite with the quillons, plain bifurcated guard of slender bars on the inside, large globular pommel, and replacement grip now bound with twisted silver wire and silver ribbon, the surfaces overall nearly all encrusted with silver flower-bearing tendrils centred on winged and feathered cherub's heads (silver rubbed and with minor losses)
87 cm. blade

Footnotes

Provenance
Warwick Castle, Warwickshire (inv. no. E003)
Thomas Del Mar Ltd. In association with Sotheby's, Olympia, Antique Arms, Armour & Militaria, 12 December 2007, lot 285

Literature
James G. Mann, 'Die Waffen sammlung auf Warwick Castle', Zietschrift für Historische waffen-und Kostümkunde, 1937, p. 53

The form of this hilt and its decoration is similar to a rapier in the Wallace Collection (inv. no. A596). It has been suggested that the quality of the silver decoration may originate from a Royal London workshop, such as that of Nathaniel Matthewe (recorded 1584-1641). Matthewe is mentioned in the Great Wardrobe accounts in the early 17th century where it appears that he was required to supply swords for specific occasions such as for the enrolment of a Knight of the Bath and the installation of a Garter Knight. On 28 September 1614 he is recorded supplying '... a hunting weapon with a knife.... set with cherubs' heads of silver, the whole damascened with gold embossed and chased, the grip of large silver wire gilded.....' See A.V.B. Norman, The Rapier and Small-Sword, 1460-1820, 1980, pp. 97-98, 138, 244 and 361; and L. Southwick, London Silver-hilted Small-Swords..., 2001, pp. 178-179

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A Cased Pair Of Scottish 50-Bore Percussion Duelling Or Target Pistols By Alex.r Martin, Glasgow, Mid-19th Century
The medals and associate ephemera and uniforms of Arthur Watts, 6th Inniskilling Dragoons
A Pair Of Highland All-Metal Percussion Belt Pistols Signed Paton & Walsh Perth, Mid 19th century
A Silver-Mounted Left-Hand Dagger, probably German, Italian or English Late 16th Century Or Later
FOUR REPRODUCTION CARVED POWDER HORNS/FLASKS.late 20th century.
THREE CARVED COCONUT ITEMS.18th/19th century.
A COLLECTION OF ANTIQUE AND REPRODUCTION POWDER FLASKS AND RELATED SPORTING ITEMS.
THREE VICTORIAN ARMS AND ARMOUR DECORATIVE ITEMS.