The Sword of John Hampden(?)

[Interested Party]

The swords description says "This sword, with its superbly sculptural hilt, was once thought to be the work of the Florentine goldsmith and sculptor Benvenuto Cellini. As with the 'Cellini Shield', the tradition was refuted when historic arms and armour came under more serious scrutiny in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. " They also say that John Hampton's ownership is "tradition". This seems to cast some doubt on its providence before the late 18th century.

Cellini was an amazingly talented renaissance man. Artist, warrior, engineer. Caught up in the politics of his time. His Autobiography is a fascinating work, although I am sure he put himself in a very flattering light. He produced a salt cellar that I thought was amazing as well as his escape from prison. To me I can see why it was said to be his work stylistically.

It is a pity that one can't quite make out the makers mark or that there isn't a picture of the whole sword.

[Jim McDougall]

According to Norman ("The Rapier and Smallsword 1400-1820; 1980, p.327) "...in the last century (19th) a large number of more elaborately decorated weapons and pieces of armor were attributed to the famous sculptor-goldsmith Benvenuto Cellini (1500-71). All are now ascribed to different schools and craftsmen".

In "Wallace Collection" (plate 113. p.264, A511) there is a silver encrusted sword made for Prince Henry, Prince of Wales about 1610-12. The elaborate relief carvings are magnificent work, and the sword is open hilt rather than with typical guard systems of rapiers etc.

What is notable is that the blade has the unicorn marking of Clemens Horn, Solingen, (1586-1631) being that Horn was maker of some of the most prestigious blades of late 16th into early 17th c. for royal personages of those times,some of them being,
"...Prince Charles and King James I,and JOHN HAMPDEN,"
(#65 at Windsor).


It is noted in the Windsor description that the hilt of Hampdens sword is by an anonymous artist...but likely of course they suggest that the work is of the Cellini school.

It would seem that the artisan of this sword for Prince Henry Prince of Wales c. 1610 was following this convention.

Given that these swords were of the same period, of similar high stature with blades by Clemens Horn, perhaps the 'tradition' developed with the chain of provenance ultimately ending up with another Prince of Wales, George IV who finally received this sword in 1807.

The sword certainly was in good company.

[Interested Party]

Good Lord, the mark is a unicorn! I don't know why I couldn't make that out. I ended up screenshotting it and rotating to all orientations. I am always humbled by Mr. McDougall’s research and have learned from him yet again by reverse engineering the process somewhat. Thanks Jim!

The Wallace Collection Vol II mentions that the globular pommel was popular in England but not proof of English manufacture. Later the discussion of example A597 says the style was popular "....1580-1680 when the fashion seems to have been brought to the country by foreign craftsman (cf. No. A511)." A511 being the prince of Wales’ sword. The first attached photo is of this sword’s forte and hilt. It shows the ostrich feathers and the PH monogram. I personally believe this hilt, a gift from Charles Emanuel of Savoy, to be in baroque style, while Hampton’s hilt with the elongated figures seems to be in the style of mannerism. The difference in styles, themes, and improbability of being sourced from the same geographic region would on the surface make the hilts seem unrelated other than of course the Clemens Horn blade.


In an experiment I tried to cut corners by using ChatGPT and Copilot. I fell into a multiple hour mobius strip of unsatisfactory answers. Though not directly related to these specific examples I found the names of Arnold Lulls (jeweler and usurer to Queen Ann of Denmark, partners with a John Spielman) and John Spillman also a jeweler of the period. Both of whom may have produces high end sword hilts. Spellman if he existed, is said to have produced basket hilts and hunting swords. These men do not exist in this forum's data base, and I have not found examples of their work. Any ideas concerning the veracity of these two gentlemen?

Finally, here are two portraits of the young Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales with swords though not the one in question. Bellow these portraits are two posthumous statues of John Hampden with side swords and a portrait with a sword hilt that could be loosely based on the OP sword.

[Jim McDougall]

Thank you so much I.P. for the kind words! actually you're pretty good at research as well, and we pretty much learn from each other along with the others who contribute here.

I confess I could NOT figure out what this was either, and had to look at it upside down and sideways........feeling pretty lost I decided to go to my trusty copy of 'Kinman' ("European Makers of Edged Weapons and Their Marks"). Staffan has done a magnificent job of compiling all these markings from the well known compendiums. ......and there it was !

While not well versed in the art forms and these stylings used in the creation of elaborately designed hilts, it does seem there were a great deal of such hilts and swords created for diplomatic occasions between these royal courts.
Excellent notes and links well illustrating this!

[Interested Party]

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

Thank you so much I.P. for the kind words! actually you're pretty good at research as well, and we pretty much learn from each other along with the others who contribute here.

You are going to make me blush!

Here are some blades that Norman references in regard to the Hampden hilt. First are a couple of hilts in the Wallace Collection that are stylistically related in components.
https://wallacelive.wallacecollectio...ype=detailView
https://wallacelive.wallacecollectio...ype=detailView

This is the one we have been looking for! Norman claims (P. 189) this is from the same workshop as the "so-called Hampden sword".
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O...apier-unknown/
Sadly, the Victoria and Albert Museum also has this hilt being from an unknown workshop. Though they do say France as its place of manufacture. The blade appears to have pierced work. It is amazing how such artists can fade into the mists of time so quickly. I wonder if they felt unappreciated by their patron during their lifetimes?

[Jim McDougall]

Thanks again I.P! I had to dig into the archives, found my well weathered old copy of "Arms and Armor Annual" (ed. Robert Held, 1973),
In "English Swords 1600-1650" John F. Hayward, (V&A; Sothebys),
I think we have it!
ROBERT SOUTH,

"...the only hilt so far attributed to ROBERT SOUTH is that of Henry Prince of Wales (this sword we are discussing) this follows the fashion ofv the 17th c. but is of higher quality. Another hilt that can be attributed to South is the sword of James I with blade by CLEMENS HORN in the Windsor Castle armory. It is not unlikely that SOUTH was the importer of the Horn blades and that all the hilts originally furnished with such blades CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO HIM" !!!


Further noted, South was the leading cutler during first half of 17th c. was appointed cutler to James I, and held office under Charles I. His name first appeared in records of cutlers company 1603.

It seems that some of the sources we have been citing somehow missed this important attribution by the late Mr. Hayward. Looks like ROBERT SOUTH is the artisan we're looking for.

[Jim McDougall]

Returning to the original post and question by Rob.

What artisan made this hilt ?

The tradition attributing this hilt to Benvenuto Cellini (d1571) is of course incorrect, but of course the neoclassical and Biblical themes may have inspired the maker, who it appears was likely Robert South. He was leading cutler appointed to James I and later held office under Charles I. He was highly esteemed first half of 17th c. but it seems curious that while producing work for the Royal House, he produced this hilt for Hampden who was apparently Parliamentarian during the later troubled times. Perhaps that would put the date of this sword earlier c. 1605-10?

Hayward (1973) Arms & Armor Annual, "English Swords 1600-1650" also notes South was likely the importer of the prestigious blades from Solingen maker Clemens Horn.
Hayward also notes little is known of South, but in 1603 he was a member of the yeomanry of the Cutlers Co.

In these highly detailed and high station regalia type swords it seems these kinds of themes and subjects were well known. It is unclear why this hilt would be attributed to Cellini, though perhaps the theme detail was from work by him.
It would take much more research into the works of Cellini to discover why South close this theme.

[Interested Party]

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

"...the only hilt so far attributed to ROBERT SOUTH is that of Henry Prince of Wales (this sword we are discussing) this follows the fashion ofv the 17th c. but is of higher quality. Another hilt that can be attributed to South is the sword of James I with blade by CLEMENS HORN in the Windsor Castle armory. It is not unlikely that SOUTH was the importer of the Horn blades and that all the hilts originally furnished with such blades CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO HIM" !!!


Further noted, South was the leading cutler during first half of 17th c. was appointed cutler to James I, and held office under Charles I. His name first appeared in records of cutlers company 1603.

It seems that some of the sources we have been citing somehow missed this important attribution by the late Mr. Hayward. Looks like ROBERT SOUTH is the artisan we're looking for.

Great sleuthing Jim! This post has prompted me to re-read all of the source material that I have found. I had a reading comprehension error while perusing the Wallace Collection it seems that that source does not link the Prince of Wales sword to the armor gift from Charles Emanuel of Savoy but to a previous set with a laurel motif en suite with the sword. I apologize.

https://wallacelive.wallacecollectio...objectId=61004 wow Jim with our reliance on print you and I both missed the obvious. I need to remember to cross check my sources. I have found a record of another South Sword from 1610 https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O...-south-robert/. Unfortunately, there is not a picture to go with the description. This second South sword listed a partner in its manufacture named John Bushnell. That said Norman (p. 373) links the Hampden hilt to "One workshop active from perhaps the late 1630s, seems to have specialized in mythological and biblical scenes with rather large figures among foliage which includes bursting pomegranates.... Its works include the type 39 hilt, said to have belonged to John Hampden at Windsor.... " Norman goes on to list swords in the group mostly housed continental collections minus several in the Victoria and Albert Museum including the sword mentioned in my previous post attributed to a French workshop (Norman p 189). On page 190 he mentions a sword in Copenhagen Inv. No. C329/42 "with decoration again resembling that of the Hampden sword at Windsor" that I also have not been able to locate an image of.

Norman is conditional in both his inclusion of these swords into one production facility and his attribution of the OP sword to John Hampden. As noted in a previous post there is no record of the sword being Hampden's till over 150 years after his death. Mr. Norman has a discrepancy in the passage quoted above of calling the Hampden sword a type 39 where earlier he discussed it as a type 40. With the production period of the Prince's sword being between 1610 (when he was created the Prince of Wales) and his subsequent death in 1612, and the attribution of the other group beginning in the 1630s and continuing till at least 1655. Robert South did produce royal swords from at least 1610 till a period between 1625-1649. With a documented career beginning in 1603. Objectively, to me with Robert South being English based and at least one of the other group of swords with a style resembling Hampden's being attributed to France in 1655, and souths career needing to be 52 years long, the relation of the Prince of Wales sword and Hampden's seems tenuous. Subjectively when I look at the three blades previously pictured, they do not look like the same maker both stylistically and thematically. Two are large, elongated figures one biblical the other mythological. They are fluid and evocative. Hampden's speaks of righteousness. Both with the defeat of of the giant Goliath and his later conquest of the morally fallen king Saul. Both victories were through his belief in the righteous power of God and for he who belief amounts to even a grain of mustard all things are possible. The beheading of Goliath is sadly prophetic of 1649. The Prince's sword is more sparse in decoration. It is static and dark. The theme here is his right to rule through a lineage descending from Aneas and London being the new Rome, inheriting its empire of not religion. He will rule through tradition. Let us remember laurels are for the victor and that in later Roman tradition might creates right. These two hilts are diametrically opposed and offer a simplified overview of the conflict between the parties in the civil war.

I am sorry Rob I am sure this is not what you hoped for when you asked if anyone "knows anything about this sword, the sculptor, and the accuracy of attributing this to a date in the first half of the 1600s." All parties in this discussion have been using transitive proprieties very freely and I not sure if the current sources can be reconciled. They have left us with a generous supply of good data points, but no consensus for a conclusion.

For a final note of this missive there is a book I cannot find by Leslie Southwick "London Sliver Hilted Swords" that may have information pertaining to our search. Bezdek may also have information on South particularly when he died and where he finished his career.

Thanks to all for helping to occupy my mind while I recover from a minor injury.
IP