[Peter Morwood]

Something to consider over the weekend...

Why are basket liners (or are they more properly called "basket gloves"?) almost a standard fitting on Scottish Basket-Hilted broadswords (claymores of that ilk), but so unusual on my own personal favourite BH sword, the Dalmatian/Venetian schiavona or "Slavonic Lady"? Whatever function this cloth or leather insert fulfils must apply as much to one as the other, surely? Or were these fittings removed when the swords ceased to be weapons and became museum exhibits?

One of myArmoury's photo albums is dedicated to schiavone, and contains 98 pictures; my own hard drive has a "schiavona-pix" file with 432 image files - and yet, among all of these, the only schiavona with a liner/glove is HERE.

There are some other interesting features about this sword:

(1) It has a wrist-strap/sword-knot (again, to the best of my knowledge this photograph is unique in showing such a feature);

(2) It doesn't have the usual Katzenkopfknauf (Cat's-head pommel; yes, now I'm just showing off...Say it six times swiftly as a sobriety test);

(3) The lower extremity of the basket appears solidly connected to the pommel by a screw; most other such connections seem to be a ring, or even just a loop of wire, and most often the lower "hook" isn't actually connected to anything;

(4) The forward quillon apparently extends beyond the basket to become a sort of decorative curlicue; and finally,

(5) Its blade is significantly narrower than most swords of this type (though the perfect example of the narrow-bladed schiavona, IMO, is in the Historisches Museum at Barfüsserkirche, in Basel, Switzerland (catalogue number 1891/78) - a replica of which Erik Stevenson will be making for me once I reach the top of his backlog. Yes, there is an ulterior motive to this question...)

I'll be interested to see what thoughts and opinions this might provoke.


(small edit to clarify hotlink)

[Nathan Robinson]

Peter-

I never really considered that a true schiavona. It's always looked British to me and simply inspired by the schiavona. It is located in a Dresden museum, if I remember correctly, so it may very well be continental in origin. I would love to know more about it simply because it's such an odd-ball.

The construction is significantly different and it has ill-placed features as you mentioned. The proportions (particularly the roundness of shape), material choice, liner, pommel screw, pommel shape, strap, liner, and blade dimensions just flag it as 18-19th century processional to me. But what do I know? It's difficult to tell anything from a single photo like this and no real information.

I'd love to have you share some of your 432 photos.