Basket-Hilt Broadsword ("Mortuary Sword")

hilt: c. 1640–50; blade: 1700s
Overall: 101.6 cm (40 in.); Blade: 85.2 cm (33 9/16 in.); Hilt: 13 cm (5 1/8 in.)
Weight: 1.12 kg (2.47 lbs.)
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.

Download, Print and Share

Did You Know?

The ornate basket hilt which protects the hand, is chiseled with leafy decorative scrollwork and grotesque masks.

Description

The decoration on this sword's hilt includes an image of King Charles I of England (beheaded in 1649). Because the image resembles the king's death mask, this sword is known as a "mortuary sword." It may have belonged to Sir Thomas Fairfax, a general of the Parliamentary cavalry during the English Civil War (1642-51). Large, double-edged broadswords, designed for heavy cavalry use, were common from the 1600s through the 1800s.
Basket-Hilt Broadsword ("Mortuary Sword")

Basket-Hilt Broadsword ("Mortuary Sword")

hilt: c. 1640–50; blade: 1700s

Hilt: England; Blade: Germany, Solingen (?), Hilt: 17th Century; Blade: 18th Century

Visually Similar Artworks

Contact us

The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@clevelandart.org.

To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk.

All images and data available through Open Access can be downloaded for free. For images not available through Open Access, a detail image, or any image with a color bar, request a digital file from Image Services.