cma-medieval-art: Basket-Hilt Broadsword (“Mortuary Sword”), hilt: c. 1640-1650; blade: 18th Century
cma-medieval-art: Basket-Hilt Broadsword (“Mortuary Sword”), hilt: c. 1640-1650; blade: 18th Century, Cleveland Museum of Art: Medieval ArtThe 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.Size: Overall: 101.6 cm (40 in.); Blade: 85.2 cm (33 9/16 in.); Hilt: 13 cm (5 1/8 in.)Medium: steel, chiseled; inlaid gilt- silver foil; wood and wire griphttps://clevelandart.org/art/1916.696 -- source link
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