Early this year Toby Capwell approached me to make a sword, scabbard and shield 'for' Humphrey de Bohun for the then upcoming Bannockburn exhibition funded by Historic Scotland. This was of course a fascinating project for me and one I was very pleased to be able to undertake.

The project started with Toby supplying a series of effigies from which we selected elements for the pieces and of course dealt with budget restraints.

The sword furniture was closely based on a piece from the Wallace, though the blade is simpler in form. The pommel has a series of enamelled lines in red and blue, but the most striking aspect is the cord bound grip. I had wanted to try this type of decoration for a while and this seemed like the perfect opportunity and so I use the blue and gold of de Bohuns' colours and made a suitably garish grip.

The scabbard again was closely based on an existing effigy with a couple of elements from other contemporary pieces and again was dyed and painted to be suitably garish for the period - it was important to be noticed. I then went on to make buckle, strap end and chape to suit. These pieces are now available here http://www.todsstuff.co.uk/todsfoundry/scabbard-fittings.htm

Shields from this period were very heavily curved, more so than I have made before, and so this was covered inside and out in my customary linen and gesso and fully harnessed. Unfortunately I didn't seem to take any pictures of the back. I have made a 3D decorated shield before and this again seemed like a good opportunity to make another and so the bend argent and the lions rampant were raised.

Overall I am pleased with the rather 'showy' and garish nature of the set and hope again to make some pieces that to modern eyes are totally over the top.

I hope you like them.

Tod

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You've outdone yourself again Tod. Beautiful work.

Doesn't look garish at all to me. I would have even liked to see enameling on the flats of the pommel. :lol:

Beautiful work, as usual, Tod.

Hi Leo
That looks amazing I think that set up is fit for an King and I would also love to have it thanks for the eye candy.

Brrrrrr, outstanding!

Brilliant work, as usual, especially on the scabbard!

Tod,

That scabbard is a real work of art, a masterpiece. The raised embellishments on the shield are also very interesting, along with the red of the claws and tongue, they really make the lions 'pop'.

I'm surprised there is no inlay/plating on the blade…

Fantastic piece--the grip and belt really look marvelous, as do the gesso lions. Bravo!

Garish indeed. Sorry, I don't care for this at all. Looks like a kit made for Liberace.
Thanks for showing it though.

Jon

Absolutely spot on!!!! Really good work as always from Tod. I love how colorful it is. It really captures the era for me. Just plain terrific!

Wonderful work. I don't think Garish is the best term. Thanks for expanding our views of what nicely decorated shields and weapons from the time period may have looked like! There's a very happy customer I'm sure.

Leo,

Since we're discussing the topic of these painted or enameled pommels in another thread, I was wondering what material you used to put the enameled lines around the pommel? The Met article by Grancsay says the Peter of Dreux pommel uses "soft enamel", which I understand to be air-dried and unfired.

http://www.myArmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t...highlight=

And please share the technique you used for wrapping the grip. I know you take justly some pride in that also.

Thanks very much guys.

Mart Shearer wrote

Quote:

Doesn't look garish at all to me. I would have even liked to see enameling on the flats of the pommel.

Kai Lawson wrote

Quote:

I'm surprised there is no inlay/plating on the blade…

So would I, but the budget simply didn't stretch to that as well so I did a little detail on the pommel, but not as much as the man deserved.

J.Hargis wrote

Quote:

Garish indeed. Sorry, I don't care for this at all. Looks like a kit made for Liberace.

Love the quote. I am personally in two minds. I am not sure I am confident enough to wear it myself, but that aside I am really pleased with the look and it does truly reflect what was worn, rather than a sanitised modern interpretation, as best as we can tell.

Mart Shearer wrote

Quote:

Since we're discussing the topic of these painted or enameled pommels in another thread, I was wondering what material you used to put the enameled lines around the pommel? The Met article by Grancsay says the Peter of Dreux pommel uses "soft enamel", which I understand to be air-dried and unfired. http://www.myArmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t...highlight= And please share the technique you used for wrapping the grip. I know you take justly some pride in that also.

The 'enamelled' lines were put in using a tinted 'cold set enamel' which is I think coloured epoxy. Soft enamel sounds like paint to me; perhaps ground glass in rosin or similar.

The grip had a blue cord wound around it and then the yellow cord was woven and knotted through as secondary operation .

Regards

Tod

Though I too find it a bit much for my own tastes, LT, I couldn't help but take notice and
comment how colorful and beautiful, and of course how well executed the pieces are.

Briefly makes me wonder if you get requests for excellently made, but extra-rugged
looking, and primatively functional works ... like something a more common soldier
might have ...

In any event, I do enjoy seeing the consistant quality of your work ! B-)

Beautiful work....the perfect antidote to the modern view that 'historical' means 'mud-coloured', which seems to suit the modern aesthetic but bears no relation to anything other than the faded, tarnished and oxidised remains we have sitting in museums...

If you were a knight, you would be surrounded by colour, and it would have been bright and vivid, just like this.....

Julian

I wholly agree about medieval life being surrounded by vibrant colour - money allowing, but even poor people could afford very vivid shades of certain colours as they were cheap, but others remained expensive and elusive, even for the rich.

Matthew G M Korenkiewicz wrote

Quote:

Briefly makes me wonder if you get requests for excellently made, but extra-rugged looking, and primatively functional works ... like something a more common soldier might have ...

Very much so. The majority of my work is quite plain and by preference I lean toward the austere. You will find many (older) examples of my work here http://www.todsstuff.co.uk/sword-scabbards/sword-scabbards.htm and on myArmoury, but I tend to post the more unusual pieces.

Tod

Ian Hutchinson said:

Quote:

Exactly, thank you. People seem to think the medieval world was entirely drab and 'mud-coloured' but in fact, those who could afford it, preferred a variety of colors.

Really? Who here said "the medieval world was entirely drab and mud-coloured'?

J. Nicolaysen said:

Quote:

I don't think Garish is the best term.

But that is the exact term that Tod used.

Thanks.

Jon

I think I will call the scabbard "garish" but in the most complementary way! :)

For me- the grip is the best part. We see a few extant grips and some do feature the remains of some outlandish decoration. I believe there is one with yellow and green cording- another described as "pick"- but I believe this is a faded red.

A question Tod. How durable is the decor on the scabbard? I am especially asking about the gold work. And do you believe your methods would be more or less durable than period examples- assuming your processes are a bit different in terms of materials.

:confused: It was kind of an unexplained compliment. The set is also spectacular, ostentatious, and extravagant. The quality is outstanding and for me, garish implies flash over quality. I'd have used a different word myself for this work of art. Who cares, the connotations of a descriptor aren't really the point here.

Wonderful work Tod! I also really like the raised lions and many other things people have said already.

I can easily think of a few more things which could be added with funding. Diapering the white of the bend on the shield, perhaps with some silver vine-work? Adding an enameled escutcheon with the arms of de Bohun onto the flat of the pommel. Adding an inlayed inscription into the blade has been mentioned, and gilding the hilt components always adds to the bling factor. Any or all of which Leo could accomplish, given de Bohun's backing instead of Dr. Capwell's. ;)