Hello,

I'm not quite sure if this goes here but if not I'm sure it'll be corrected swiftly (and thanks in advance of that eventuality!).

Browsing my usual news sites today, I saw an editorial with an interesting picture. The article itself isn't relevant to this forum, but the picture caught my attention due to a rather interesting blade sitting by the subject of the portrait. Can anybody tell me more about this painting?

[ Linked Image ]

I'm seeing a globular or pear-shaped pommel, a fairly broad grip with (possibly?) tassels at mid-point and below pommel, and then a straight guard with cusps in the center of the blade. Overall the package reminds me of Valiant Armoury's interpretation of the Angus Trim Warsword.

(If the picture doesn't show because it's in my cache, let me know and I'll re-upload)

It was painted by Rembrandt in 1621. The original is in the Staatsgalerie in Stuttgart. http://www.artbible.info/art/large/460.html

One of St Paul's attributes is a sword. He uses one to cut the ear off of a Roman soldier at Gethsemane. I don't know enough about swords to know if this one is contemporary with Rembrandt or whether he has painted Paul with something out of date to suggest antiquity.

You can find a detailed image here http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons...Prison.jpg

Mac

Mac, thanks for the great image! That has a far better picture of the sword :) Rembrandt is ~17th century, so the sword is a bit dated for that period.

I can't quite ascertain whether it's in a scabbard with risers that follow the lines of its fullers or if it's a bare blade, unfortunately, but you can much more clearly tell that the hilt is corded or tooled leather with two tassels. It does appear to be anachronistic; perhaps it's a 13th or 14th century blade re-hilted in a later style.

How common would double tassels be on such a piece like this? And why one in the middle of the hilt, rather than at both ends?

Thank you, Luka.

It looks like I have run Sts. Peter and Paul together in my head in addition to misidentifying Malchus as a Roman. I need to check my facts before I post.....

Mac

I don't think it's too anachronistic, actually. The painting looks like it's a depiction of a post-Oakeshott blade (the reflection on the distal hexagonal portion makes me think it is a naked blade) with an in-cut ricasso, multiple fullers and a hexagonal cross section, and to my uninformed mind, the only time period where that would fit in or exist would likely be 16th century into--in some places--early 17th century Europe. Maybe it is deliberately given an older feel, and could be based off a more decorated battlefield example or a downsized parade sword?

Dunno if it's correct analogy, but at least in Poland, large two handed swords like that seemed to be largely used as insignia of officers, particularly infantry.

http://rotapiesza-pl.lorica.superhost.pl/zrodla/heraldic.jpg


Here's higher resolution of St. Paul picture:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons...Prison.jpg

It's a Richtschwert appropriate to the period of the painting.

A slightly earlier image with multiple examples of exactly this kind of hilt: http://myArmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=26886&highlight=