WALLACE COLLECTION Oriental Room, London UK

Lee · 10th August 2010, 03:56 PM

What a fabulous photo of one of my favorite items in the Wallace collection! The reflections of the windows really bring the ambiance of this museum back to me - and I visit these galleries every time I visit London.

This sword is briefly discussed in: Oakeshott, R. Ewart, "Old Wine in New Bottles," Park Lane Arms Fair Catalogue 8 (1991), p. 18 - 21. Mr. Oakeshott dates the hilt as c. 1690 and the blade as a century earlier (the catalog dates it as possibly early 15th century); much of Mr. Oakeshott's discussion is centered upon the incompletely resolved question of whether the blade is of Spanish or German origin. The catalog describes the blade as 37 1/2 inches in length by 2 1/2 inches width at the hilt.

Even though much of the collection is ultra-richly decorated early 19th century, Wallace's buyers also acquired some really fine earlier examples!

There are a number of really fine European medieval swords in the next room...

10th August 2010, 03:56 PM	#15
Lee EAAF Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Upstate New York, USA Posts: 938	O.A.1873 What a fabulous photo of one of my favorite items in the Wallace collection! The reflections of the windows really bring the ambiance of this museum back to me - and I visit these galleries every time I visit London. This sword is briefly discussed in: Oakeshott, R. Ewart, "Old Wine in New Bottles," Park Lane Arms Fair Catalogue 8 (1991), p. 18 - 21. Mr. Oakeshott dates the hilt as c. 1690 and the blade as a century earlier (the catalog dates it as possibly early 15th century); much of Mr. Oakeshott's discussion is centered upon the incompletely resolved question of whether the blade is of Spanish or German origin. The catalog describes the blade as 37 1/2 inches in length by 2 1/2 inches width at the hilt. Even though much of the collection is ultra-richly decorated early 19th century, Wallace's buyers also acquired some really fine earlier examples! There are a number of really fine European medieval swords in the next room... Attached Images