Physical description
Sword with hilt encrusted with chiselled silver against a gilt ground, with pear-shaped pommel decorated with grotesques and female dancing figures and with chain and flower ornament, the four-sided grip bound with alternated bands of copper and iron wire (restored). The wide quillons of octagonal section ending in oviform finials and the two ring guards are encrusted with silver chains and leaf motifs and the ring guards have standing female nude figures in cartouches. The intersecting counter guards are gilt only. The escutcheons either side of the join with the blade have silver grotesque masks.
The blade is broad and double-edged with a ricasso cut back with a space for the fore-finger, and has three grooves on each side running almost to the point. The blade is signed and has a motto and is stamped twice on each side of the ricasso with the bladesmith's mark.
Place of Origin
Toledo, Spain (blade, made)
Dresden, Germany (hilt; probably, made)
Date
ca. 1570 (made)
Artist/maker
Cantero, Miguel (bladesmith)
Materials and Techniques
Steel, iron, partly gilt, encrusted with silver, with copper wire
Marks and inscriptions
'MIGUEL CANTERO'
'EN SOLO DIO CONFIO'
Crowned 'C' for Miguel Cantero of Toledo, Spain
Dimensions
Length: 109.5 cm whole, Length: 18 cm hilt, Length: 91.5 cm blade, Width: 26.5 cm quillons, Depth: 13.6 cm hilt
Object history note
The sword was purchased by the Museum in 1955 from Mr. C. Falkiner (R.F. 55/664) for £115 using funds from the Farquharson Bequest of 1927. Its provenance before Falkiner's ownership is unknown.
Historical significance: This is one of the finer swords in the Museum's collection and is a good example of a late cruciform sword (popular for the previous three centuries). This type remained in use in Saxony until the 17th century, particularly as a military sword where its rather open hilt would be compensated by other hand protection such as a gauntlet. Its rich ornament of silver on a gilded background suggest it was probably used by a wealthy prince's household guard. This hilt resembles swords in the armoury of the Electors of Saxony and possibly has a Dresden provenance. The blade is a fine Toledo blade by the maker Miguel Cantero.
Historical context note
Swords were not just weapons but important decorative elements in masculine costume. They were symbols of honour and rank for their owners throughout Europe. They remained an indispensible feature of outdoor dress of any person with pretensions to status until the late 18th century in Europe.
Sword hilts became more and more elaborate after the introduction of firearms. Prior to that swords were used against armour primarily as cutting and thrusting weapons while the hand was protected by a gauntlet or by chain mail. Improvements to firearms made much armour redundant and so freedom of movement became more of a priority, particularly as swords became more part of civilian dress. Civilians were unlikely to wear hand protection in the way a soldier would and a forward thrust would expose the hand to danger. Hilts became more elaborate as a result. Fencing as a training activity became increasingly codified and a standard part of male education. The most expensive hilts received the richest ornament that could be applied without impairing the sword’s function.
Sword blades were articles of international trade, made in a few important centres and shipped all over Europe where they were fitted with hilts in the local fashion. During the 16th and 17th centuries the sword blades of Toledo, Valencia and Milan were the most sought after but the largest centre of production was the German town of Solingen. The finest hilts were usually equipped with a Spanish blade but if not available a German blade (sometimes with a spurious Spanish inscription) was fitted instead.
The most prosperous swordmakers in Toledo were concentrated in an area bordered by a road called Calle de Armas (Weapon Street) where there were also ironsmiths, crossbow makers, knife and axe makers. Guild regulations in Toledo were strict. Those seeking to practise as swordmakers had to pass strict tests of quality stipulated by the King. The King also protected the Spanish trade by issuing a decree in 1567: "…do not allow or permit to import any kind of sword in our kingdom from the exterior, and the ones made in Toledo wear the mark and signal of the master who made it and manufactured it, and the place where they are made, and whoever violates this they will be condemned as false…".
Descriptive line
Sword with a steel hilt engraved with silver, the blade signed 'MIGUEL CANTERO' and 'EN SOLO DIO CONFIO'; Spain and Germany (Saxony), ca. 1570
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
Hayward, J.F. Swords and Daggers, HMSO, London, 1963, cat. 4
Handbook covering the Museum collection of swords and daggers from the end of the 15th century to the beginning of the 19th century.
North, Anthony, An Introduction to European Swords, Victoria and Albert Museum, London 1982, p. 10
Schobel, Johannes, Princely Arms and Armour: Treasures in the Dresden Collection, Barrie & Jenkins, London, 1975, p.86, cat. 56, plate 56
For comparison
Blair, Claude, European and America Arms c.1100-1850, B.T. Batsford Ltd., London, 1962, pp. 5-6
General history of swords
Coe, Michael D. et al, Swords and Hilt Weapons, Barnes and Noble Books, New York, 1993, ISBN 1-56619-249-8, p. 550-52
For comparison and general history
Syndram, Dirk and Scherner, Antje, Princely Splendour: The Dresden Court 1580-1620, Metropolitan Museum of Art and Staatlich Kunstsammlungen, Dresden, 2004
History of Electors of Saxony and their Court
Labels and date
Arms and Armour Galleries:
SWORD
Steel
SAXON (Dresden); about 1570
The steel hilt encrusted with silver, the blade signed by MIGUEL CANTERO of Toledo.
M.11-1955
Purchased from the funds of the Farquharson Bequest [to 2002]
Production Note
Hilt probably made in Dresden by an unknown maker.
Materials
Silver; Gold; Steel; Copper; Iron
Techniques
Gilding; Forging; Hammering; Silvering
Categories
Metalwork; Religion; Death; Arms & Armour; Accessories
Collection code
MET
