[Tony Mason]

Hello All.

I'm looking to be able to mount 3 swords and about 7 knives on my wall in a homogeneous display.
I'm looking for any intricately designed backdrops - they can be shields or anything that makes the display look great.
I have looked on several websites but it seems that only very small shields are sold or individual hangers which is great for one sword but as I mentioned above I want my whole collection presented in a suitable montage.

I'd appreciate any pointers or anyone who knows a guy who knows a guy that does this sort of thing.

cheers all

Regards

Tony

[Henry R. Gower]

The most elegant display of a relatively small number of edged weapons were the ones at Government House, Khartoum, in the movie of the same name with Charlton Hesston. The mounting must have been done with hooks of the appropriate size, set directly into the wall, because you cannot see the mounting method. Using that as an example, I would mount the three swords vertically, with the largest in the middle. The knives or daggers could be mounted on an oblique angle running down each side. I have made such a display myself, it looks sharp but requires patience and exact placement. One can buy brass, "L" shaped hooks in any hardware/ironmonger or DIY store. There are fabulous examples of arms displays in Scottish castles, arranged in geometric patterns, but we are talking very large scale rooms, as well as large number of weapons, not practical for the average person, but the ones in "Khartoum" are. You could get a heater type shield from Tod, for example, and mount that in front of the three swords, so they go behind it, and have it painted with your favorite emblems, family crest, that sort of thing. I would take pains to make the mountings secure, but invisible to the casual observer.

Henry