Basket-Hilt Broadsword ("Mortuary Sword")
Unknown Artist
hilt: c. 1640–50; blade: 1700s
Medium
steel, chiseled; inlaid gilt- silver foil; wood and wire grip
Dimensions
l. 101.6 cm · blade: l. 85.2 cm
Classification
Arms and Armor
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance
Accession Number
1916.696
About this artwork
The decoration on this sword's hilt includes an image of King Charles I of England (beheaded in 1649). Because the image resembles the king's death mask, this sword is known as a "mortuary sword." It may have belonged to Sir Thomas Fairfax, a general of the Parliamentary cavalry during the English Civil War (1642-51). Large, double-edged broadswords, designed for heavy cavalry use, were common from the 1600s through the 1800s.