art-of-swords:

Congressional presentation sword of Major General John E. Wool

• Dated: 1854–55
• Culture: American, United States, possibly Baltimore
• Medium: steel, gold, gilded brass, diamonds, rubies, wood, silver, textile
• Measurements: overall length (in scabbard) 39 3/16 in. (99.6 cm) W. of hilt 5 5/8 in. (14.3 cm) L. overall (sword alone) 38 13/16 in. (98.5 cm) L. of blade 31 7/16 in. (79.9 cm) L. of scabbard 31 7/8 in. (81 cm)

The American practice of presenting specially designed swords to military officers in recognition of heroic actions or distinguished service dates to the War of Independence. In the nineteenth century, particularly during the War of 1812, Mexican War, and Civil War, the U.S. Congress commissioned a large number of highly ornate presentation swords with hilts of gold or silver from leading designers and silversmiths. This sword presented to Major General John E. Wool is one of the finest and most original.

This sword, preserved in pristine condition, was awarded to Wool by Congress in 1854 in belated recognition of his pivotal role in the American victory at Buena Vista during the Mexican War. The massive gold hilt incorporates the American eagle as the pommel, an ear of corn for the grip, and a cactus branch entwined with snakes (for Mexico) as the crossguard.

The blade is etched with the American arms, and the gilded brass scabbard has gold laurel branches as suspension mounts. The original silver-mounted storage box also survives. The sword’s elegant proportions, novel design, sculptural conception, and superb finish make it an outstanding example of mid-nineteenth-century silversmithing. The inscription on the blade names a Baltimore cutler; the unmarked hilt may have been made in the same city.

Source: © 2000–2012 The Metropolitan Museum of Art. All rights reserved.

collective-history:

Uniform sword with scabbard, England, 1901-1925

Famous tailor Gieves Limited in London made this uniform sword with scabbard, belt and leather case. It belonged to surgeon Lieutenant Commander John Stephen McGrath (d. 1927) of the British Royal Navy. A uniform sword was worn by officers as part of their official uniform. 

(via collectivehistory)

art-of-swords:

Spanish Left-Hand Dagger

• Dated: 1708
• Size: 42 cm / 16.5 inches, 45 cm/ 17.7 inches (including mount)

With single-edged blade notched along the back-edge and etched with foliage on each side. The forte pierced with holes for sword-breaking and hollowed for the thumb. Etched on one side “Viba El Rei Pheilipe V Rei De Espana En MADRID, Ao 1708” and on the other with foliage, “IHS” and a dial.

The hilt comprising up-curved triangular hand-guard, chiselled with foliage and inhabited by birds. The straight quillons with fluted tips and the pommel chiselled with a grotesque mask on each side. With wire-bound spirally fluted grip.

Source & Copyright: Peter Finer

art-of-swords:

Hand-made Knives

Knifemaker & Copyright: Vince Evans

Souce: Blade Forums

art-of-swords:

Saber

• Date: 16th century
• Culture: Turkish
• Medium: Steel, shagreen, gold
• Dimensions: L. overall 37 7/8 in. (96.19 cm) L. of blade 30 3/4 in. (78.11 cm) L. of quillons 6 1/8 in. (15.54 cm) Wt. 2 lb. 5 oz. ( 1049 gm)
• Classification: Swords 

The blade is chiseled in relief with Koranic verses, with the surrounding areas inlaid with gold. The inscriptions refer to victory in the Holy War and to the magical powers of the biblical King Solomon (Süleyman). It seems probable that this unique blade was made for the Ottoman sultan Süleyman I (r. 1520–66). The guard is chiseled with gold-damascened flowers and was formerly inlaid with rubies. The grip, covered with fishskin dyed green, is a later replacement.

Source: © 2000–2012 The Metropolitan Museum of Art. All rights reserved. 

art-of-swords:

1803 English Light Infantry Officer Saber

Lovely Light Infantry, Flankers or Rifles 1803 pattern officer sword of the Wellington Army. This is one of the most attractive of British pattern swords, the 1803 pattern  has a number of little variations in design. Most notably to the royal cypher on the knuckle-bow, the lions-head pommel and the use of either a bugle or flaming grenade above the royal crown, denoting use by grenadiers or rifle companies. 

The sword has a fishskin grip bounded with silver wire. The blade is 33 ½ inches long, 1.38 inches wide for a total weight of 0.785 Kg, with engraving folia designs and “Onni Soit qui Mal y Pense”, the Order of the Garter Motto and “GR” for King George. It also has another engraving that says “Dieu et Mon Droit”.

This sabre was introduced to fill an important need amongst British Light Infantry of Rifle Regiments officers who duties took them away from the safety of regular Infantry line formations. Skirmishing with the enemy as light infantry or riflemen was a very dangerous venture, and these extended formations were vulnerable to being overrun by enemy cavalry.

Source & Copyright: Sword Collection

art-of-swords:

Swords in Movies - THOR - Sword of Heimdall

• Birthday post for fizzsup 
• Swordsmiths: David DelaGardelle & Andy Davis

In November of 2009, Swordsmith David DelaGardelle and Metal Artisan Andy Davis of the Mad Dwarf Workshop were contacted by the production team working on bringing Marvel Comic’s legendary comic book Thor to the big screen. David then began to refine the design back forth with the team in Photoshop to make it as functional and realistic as possible.

In refining the design, they tried their best within the parameters to throw in some slightly historical touches seen on some ancient Germanic swords, such as the swords fuller and knot work patterns. The sword itself however is obviously at its core meant to be majestic and quite literally “out of this world”.

The sword’s ornate guard and pommel were the most challenging aspect of the entire sword, due to their unique shape and function. Heimdall’s sword is not simply a mere war sword, instead it is an ancient and key that controls Heimdall’s technologically advanced observatory on the Bifrost bridge of Asgard.

It opens and closes portals to other worlds and dimensions in which the hero’s fight in the film. Being both a sword and a key, the guard serves the double purpose of obviously protecting its wielder, and also serving as extending handle bars to turn the key once its placed into its keyhole.

The guard and pommel were cast out of hollowed polished bronze for the hero steel swords, and colored lightweight aluminum for the stunt versions. Norse knotwork was carved into the fittings and into the figured Mahogany grips by hand on each copy of the sword. The knotwork is a reflective nod back to the original Norse mythology and cultural-history the comics were based off of.

The knotwork is also reflective of the patterns seen inside the walls of Heimdall’s observatory and in the architecture and décor of the city of Asgard itself. In total, the sword stood at 5 ½ feet long from tip to pommel, and the hero steel and bronze versions weighed close to 10 pounds each.

Source: Copyright © Mad Dwarf Workshop LLC 2010 

art-of-swords:

French 33rd Light Infantry Officer sword

Wonderful sword of a Light Infantry Officer of the 33rd regiment of the Napoléon Grande Armée circa 1807. Light Regiments ranked as senior to the Line Infantry and regarded themselves as such, an attitude of superiority reinforced by their more impressive uniforms and for this particular officer, with his beautiful sword.

The copper hilt has a single branch finishing near the pommel with a “tear”. The pommel forms an unusual rectangle. The sword has two large languets with a palm design. The grip is in ebony type wood. The hilt is very different from the ones usually carried by Infantry officers, such as the 1800 pattern sword.

Our sword has been inspired by the Presentation swords given by Bonaparte as a Consul and designed by Nicolas Boutet. The hilt design is shared with the briquet from the Grenadier of the Imperial Guard. The sword is mentioned in the book of Jean Lhoste and Jean-Jacques Buigne “Armes blanches: symbolisme, inscriptions, marquages, fourbisseurs, manufactures.”

The blade is 75cm long slightly curved, engraved on one side “33ème REGIMENT I…EGER” and on the other side engraved with military attributes. The blade remains very sharpened with some gilt and blue designs remaining at the ricasso. Leather black scabbard with a large copper chape and bouterolle.

Source & Copyright: Swords Collection 

art-of-swords:

Hanwei Bone-handled Rapier

• Original: European, late 16th century
• Maker: CAS Iberia / Hanwei of China

This swept-hilt rapier has a non-fullered blade with a leather-covered ricasso. The quadrangular quillons terminate in finials that match the pommel and carved elements found within the rings of the hilt.

The inner guard originates at the top of knuckle-bow then divides into three bars terminating at the ends of the hilt arms. A polished cow bone grip replaces the factory synthetic one. Has a leather-covered wooden scabbard.

Source: All contents © Copyright 2003-2012 myArmoury.com — All rights reserved 

art-of-swords:

English Light Cavalry Sabre 1796 Pattern

• Swordsmith: John Gaspard Le Marchant, former cavalry officer and developed with Henry Osborne - Birmingham.
• Measurements: weight ~ 0.78kg with scabbard; 1.35 kg with scabbard

The Light Cavalry Sabre Pattern 1796,  was used primarily by British Light Dragoons, hussars, and King’s German Legion light cavalry during the Napoleonic Wars. It was adopted by the Prussians (as the 1811 pattern or “Blücher sabre”) and used by Portuguese and Spanish cavalry. 

The hilt has a ‘stirrup’ form with a single knucklebow, so as to be free of unnecessary weight; the intention of this was to make the sabre usable by all cavalrymen, not solely the largest and strongest. 

The 1796 sabre had a pronounced curve, making the kind of slashing attacks used in cavalry actions decidedly easier. Even cavalrymen trained to use the thrust, as the French were, in the confusion of a melee often reverted to instinctive hacking, which the 1796 accommodated.

Its blade, unlike other European sabers of the period, widened near the point. This affected balance, but made slashes far more brutal; its action in the cut has been compared to a modern bacon slicer. The blade is remembered today as one of the best of its time and has been described as the finest cutting sword ever manufactured in quantity.

Source & Copyright: Swords Collection