[Mark T]

Next up is from the Chronique, Royal MS 14 E IV f. 201 v:

[Mark T]

And some from various editions of Chaucer:

[Phil D.]

This pic of the Bayeux Tapestry seems to show the scabbards on the left hip under the shields of the horsemen on the right...

[Eric S]

[Jeffrey Faulk]

One thing to remember with messer and dagger suspensions is that often they were simply attached by a leather cord or string to the belt. Thus, an alternative explanation is that the scene depicts someone who's just shifted the hang of their blade around to the other side temporarily for whatever reason; maybe it was poking them in the side when they sat down the other night, something like that. I've done the same thing, well, not with daggers, but with holstered knives on my belt or even with key-rings (mine is particularly large).

With swords, which do have a more definite suspension-- especially early swords with integrated belt and scabbard-- then a depiction of a scabbard on the right side would certainly indicate left-handedness. Or it could be a guy who happens to like the cavalry draw, but left-handedness is more likely.

[Tom King]

To reiterate,

the reasons why a sword would be worn on the right hip
-romans, except for officers, during an ill defined period when the gladius was used
-people whom were left handed during periods where people were ALLOWED to be left handed
-artistic license

as a lefty whom also shoots bows, many "period" artworks showing left and right suspensions for swords, if a guy is shooting righty with a bow (or lefty) and has a lefty suspension harness (or righty), I call artistic license for symmetry and such.

[Mark T]

Phil: yes, the dominant depiction in period artwork we have (for Western, medieval contexts ) shows scabbards on the left, allowing for both a right-hand cross-body draw, and for mounting a horse from the left.

I think the gentle point that both Harry and I were trying to make is that, contrary to some claims that 'swords were always worn on the left and everyone was right-handed', there are period images that give examples of the opposite.

Importantly, these cover different time periods; different types of knights, soldiers, and common folks; different kinds of side arms; different kinds of illustrators; and - most interestingly - both mounted and unmounted situations.

[Matthew Amt]

I'd be a little careful about prints from woodcuts. Those can often include right/left mistakes simply because they have to be carved as a "negative". Harder to argue with the paintings, though!

Matthew

[Mark T]

Hi Matthew,

Good point! I was hoping that might not be the case, given that the Chaucer 'Knight' image above has text which isn't 'flopped' ... but that's not to say that the artist knew that flopping the text would be a problem, but might not have been worried about the image.

I've also since come across a couple of images where all or most of the figures carry swords on their right, presumably for a left-handed draw. Given that it's unlikely that they're all lefties, and that the swords are clearly pointing to the rear (which suggests they haven't just been slung around to the other side of the belt), it's hard to know what's going on here. An artist not worried about this level of detail? Wanting to show 'movement' of the figures from left to right, while still showing their side-arms? Who knows?

[Mark T]

More grist for this mill: Entry of Louis VII (c.1120-80) King of France and Conrad III (1093-1152) King of Germany into Constantinople during the Crusades, 1147-49, Jean Fouquet.

[Mark T]

And more ... The Meeting of St Margaret and the Prefect Olybrius, Jean Fouquet, 1452-6, Paris, Louvre, Ms. 1093.

Image and more info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sainte_Marg...ibrius.jpg

[Nat Lamb]

I would be a bit cautious about using the paintings either. An artust is going to be much more concerned with making things *look* right than they are with making things look *right*.

Point in Case, Chronique, Royal MS 14 E IV f. 201 v, which has all the archers in one army using the bow in their right hand and drawing with the left. Which is more likely, that the artist showed them shooting "mirrored" because the composition of his work required either that or having them with their backs to the viewer (spoiling the look) or that he is depicting a battle where a whole detachment of archers did things oposite to every other european archer of the time?

[Benjamin H. Abbott]

Published in the 1590s, Sir John Smythe mentioned left-handed soldiers:

[Matthew P. Adams]

All swords were worn in back scabbards.