Not currently on display at the V&A

Pommel

early 16th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This pommel of a sword hilt is made in North Italy in the early 16th century. It is of triangular shape, with a medallion of Lucretia stabbing herself, between two grotesque masks.
The object came to the museum through the Salting bequest. George Salting (b. 1836; d. 1909) - an Australian, who settled in England - was a prolific collector in a number of areas, including Chinese and Japanese ceramics and European art. By 1874 his collection had outgrown his residence in St. James's Street, prompting him to lend items to the South Kensington Museum. After his death in 1909, the majority of this astonishing collection passed to the V&A, where it was shown in its own galleries.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Bronze, cast and chased
Brief description
Pommel, of a sword hilt, bronze, Italy (North), early 16th century
Physical description
Triangular, in the form of a medallion of Lucretia stabbing herself, between two grotesque masks.
Dimensions
  • Height: 8.89cm
  • Width: 8.38cm
Object history
From the Salting bequest.
Subjects depicted
Summary
This pommel of a sword hilt is made in North Italy in the early 16th century. It is of triangular shape, with a medallion of Lucretia stabbing herself, between two grotesque masks.
The object came to the museum through the Salting bequest. George Salting (b. 1836; d. 1909) - an Australian, who settled in England - was a prolific collector in a number of areas, including Chinese and Japanese ceramics and European art. By 1874 his collection had outgrown his residence in St. James's Street, prompting him to lend items to the South Kensington Museum. After his death in 1909, the majority of this astonishing collection passed to the V&A, where it was shown in its own galleries.
Collection
Accession number
M.699-1910

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest