Maritiem Digitaal
collectie zoeksyteem van de maritieme musea
geen titel
| titel | geen titel
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| inventarisnummer | WPN1328
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| collectie | Edged Weapons
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| museum | National Maritime Museum, Greenwich
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| datum | 1800-10
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| omschrijving | French sword. The angular knuckle-bow hilt is gilt brass. The guard has a near rectangular shell on the obverse side- which has five bells on its outer edge- leading to a small up-turned quillion with leaf decoration. At the mid-point the bow has a prominer human mask (male) with leaves above and below and the shell has a full view representation of a female face- wreathed and backed by rays radiating from behind her head. The gilt brass pommel- into which the guard is hooked- is in the form of a decorated ovide 'wearing' a classical style helmet with visor and heavy comb plum which itself may have had further decoration at its crown originally.
The grip is wooden with a small ferrule at each end- and swells slightly at the centre; it is knurled and at one time had a diamond shaped plaque at the centre. The blade is straight- double edged- and of horizontal section changing to a flattened oval section towards the even point. There is a near even taper from the rectangular sectioned shoulder- and very little decoration. The obverse is inscribed at the shoulder- with a brass proof mark bearing- in copper- a damaged representation of an eagle displayed- head to the left- clutching an orb in its right talon; a rectangular fillet of copper or brass; and a bladesmith's mark of two small horizontal lines which may only be part of the original mark.
The reverse is inscribed at the shoulder with a brass proof mark bearing- in copper a damaged representation of an eagle displayed- head to the left- clutching in its right talon- an orb and in its left- a sceptre; a rectangular filleted brass or copper bearing the indistinct Letters 'P(?)AM'; a bladesmith's mark. The scabbard is missing.
The design of the hilt on this sword leads to the assumption that this may be one of the many types of 'epees de ville' referred to by Bottet. As it is heavier- however- than WPN1317- another example- it may have been intended for use as a fighting sword. It bears some similarities to the sword of an 'Administrateur de Marine' and the general use of classical forms is in keeping with French practice in the early years of the 19th century. It is quite possible- in spite of what has been said above- that this sword was appropriate to one of France's allies- perhaps Holland or Westphalia for instance- as French forms and styles followed the Army the same way as French ideas and ideals.
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| afmetingen | Overall: 55 x 955 x 125 mm; Blade: 794 x 25 mm
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