Lot 45
45
A Rare English Basket-Hilted Backsword
VAT rate of 5% is payable on hammer price plus bu… Read more
A Rare English Basket-Hilted Backsword

CIRCA 1560-70

Details
A Rare English Basket-Hilted Backsword
Circa 1560-70
With narrow single-edged blade double-edged towards the point (tip missing) with narrow triple fullers changing to double fullers along the back edge, iron hilt comprising 'Irish' guard (slightly crushed, loose) of slender bars (three broken) forming a hemispherical basket centring on a knuckle-guard between two saltires, short horizontally-recurved quillon with button terminal, two loop-shaped fore-guards over the base of the blade, and large hollow globular pommel made in two halves, the upper half gadrooned above a horizontal central groove (the surface with old patinated blackened finish throughout)
38.7.8in. (98.8cm.) blade
Special notice
VAT rate of 5% is payable on hammer price plus buyer's premium.

Lot Essay

This is an example of a sword with one of the very earliest forms of Anglo/Highland Scottish guard - known in the 17th Century as an 'Irish hilt' - from which that of the better known Scottish basket-hilted claymore developed. See C. Blair, 'The Early Basket-Hilt in Britain', in D.H. Caldwell (ed.), Scottish Weapons & Fortifications 1100-1800, 1981, pp. 153-252. A very similar sword, now in The Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh is illustrated in figs. 113-115. See also G.M. Wilson, 'Notes on Some Early Basket-Hilted Swords', J.A.A.S., vol. XII, no. 1 (March 1986), pp. 1-19

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