LOT 2030

Post Medieval Sword Hilt Plate with Figural Decoration

PROBABLY EUROPEAN, CIRCA LATE 17TH-EARLY 18TH CENTURY A.D.

2 3/4 in. (68.3 grams, 71 mm).

Of broad, lobed outline, pierced centrally with a rectangular aperture, the perimeter forms four rounded lobes, arranged in opposing pairs and separated by inward-curving notches, a raised, rounded border enclosing the decorated field, the principal face densely ornamented in relief with stylised figural forms, grotesque creatures and curling scrollwork, elongated bodies and limbs extend around the central opening, while coiled, serpentine forms fill the outer lobes, small leaves, rounded bosses and subsidiary curls occupy the intervening spaces. [No Reserve]

Acquired on the European art market.
UK, private collection.

The lobed form, central aperture and raised perimeter are consistent with a detached shell guard from a sword hilt. Such a guard would have been fitted around the blade at the base of the hilt, forming part of the protection for the hand. Its decoration belongs to the ornamental vocabulary found on late 17th- and early 18th-century sword furniture, in which figures, fantastic creatures and foliage were combined across relatively small cast or chiselled surfaces. A useful comparison is the English smallsword-type infantry hanger dated 1720-1750 in the Colonial Williamsburg collection. Its cast brass hilt incorporates paired shell guards with raised borders and densely arranged classical figures and foliage. The correspondence in construction and treatment supports the present plate’s interpretation as a sword-hilt component and its proposed date.