Victorian 1845 Pattern Officer's Sword by Buckmaster

Rectangular hide case with saddle-stitched edge, knotted attachment thong to reverse; obverse with panels of low-relief moulded tendril and geometric ornament with decorative stitching; mounted on a custom-made stand. 498 grams total, 39.5 cm high



Ex Yacob's Gallery, London W1, 2000. From a private UK collection. Ex central London gallery.

To both lateral faces, the upper face of the blade and the rear of the socket decorated with an interlaced design; slender body with bearded lower edge and curved blade, lateral spurs and rectangular panel to the butt. 282 grams, 14 cm



Private collection formed in Europe in the 1980s. Westminster collection, central London, UK. Accompanied by a copy of a four page report written by Saxon and Viking specialist Stephen Pollington. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11878-206842.

The style of the design inlaid to the axe is interesting since it evidently owes a great deal to the kinds of Insular Style ornament found in manuscripts of the 8th century in the British Isles. The elegant curves of the narrow tendrils are strongly reminiscent of the zoomorphic elements found in the Lindisfarne Gospels, St Gall Codex and the Book of Kells (Salin, 1935, pp.342-3; Moss, 2018) and the inlaid designs show the characteristic parallel curves found for example on some of the initials in those documents. The tight knot serpentine bodies recalls the similar dense knot found in the Kells manuscript (Salin's figure 731). However, the details of the layout and execution show that the piece is unlikely to have originated in the British Isles.

With long triangular-section blade and narrow acute tip, shell-guard hilt with two rings to the reverse and knuckle-guard, wire-bound grip, poppyhead pommel with knop finial. 497 grams, 102.5 cm



Acquired UK market. Property of a Kent collector.