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Hanger: HEN.M.282-1933

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Object information

Current Location: Gallery 31 (Armoury)

Maker(s)

Maker: Unknown (Uncertain)

Entities

Categories

Description

Brass (in once-gilded bronze). Pommel in the form of a warrior's head, helmeted, crested and moustached. Very short grip of bone or ivory, spirally fluted. Vertically recurved quillons with a very strong and deep ecusson, branches, outside ring-guard, flanked by two loop-guards. There are no back-guards. Each quillon terminates in a steel head crudely similar to that on the pommel. Within the ring-guard is a plate, pierced à jour with crude scrolls and dragons heads enclosing a flanking a schematic human torso. Blade back-edged, curved, with a narrow fuller near the back; engraved very crudely and inlaid in brass in the fuller the words PRINZ ANGLIE on one side and EDWARD VS on the other.

Notes

History note: Loose Fenton label, possibly belongs: Jacobsson Collection, Lot 126; Mr James Stewart Henderson of 'Abbotsford', Downs Road, St Helen's Park, Hastings, Sussex

Legal notes

J.S. Henderson Bequest

Measurements and weight

Length: 75.5 cm

Place(s) associated

  • Hounslow ⪼ England

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1933-03-16) by Henderson, James Stewart

Dating

17th Century#
Production date: circa AD 1630 : hilt c.1630

Note

German ?. Pointedly English, or made in Germany for the English market

There is a similar, but very much finer hanger of this type in the Wallace Collection (A. 717) with a warrior's head hilt exquisitely carved in box-wood and the blade engraved EDWARVS PRINS ANGLIE; another, from the Tower of London. In the early 17th century there was a strong antiquarian movement in England, which gave rise to much fictitious lore. See Antiquaries Journal, XXX. 1873, 'On Certain Swords Inscribed Edwardus Prins Anglie'. Some such hangers are inscribed with the names of Robert Bruce, Rodericus Brial (El Gid), Hugh Lupus and Reccard, King of the Goths.

This hunting hanger has a fantastic pommel in the form of a helmeted head. The blade is engraved EDWARDVS on one side and PRINZ ANGLIE on the other possibly referring to Edward the Black Prince who died in 1376– a reference to a former military hero. Hounslow, in West London, was a centre for sword making in England from about 1620.

People, subjects and objects depicted

Components of the work

Sword composed of brass (alloy) ( in once-gilded bronze)
Grip composed of ivory ( or bone) bone ( or ivory)
Quillon Head composed of steel
Inlay composed of brass (alloy)
Blade Length 57 cm Width 4.6 cm
Hilt Width 16.5 cm

Inscription or legends present

  • Text: PRINZ ANGLIE
  • Location: In fuller
  • Method of creation: Inlaid in brass
  • Text: EDWARD VS
  • Location: In fuller
  • Method of creation: Inlaid in brass

Identification numbers

Accession number: HEN.M.282-1933
Primary reference Number: 19071
Old object number: A124
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Monday 18 December 2023 Last processed: Monday 18 December 2023

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Hanger" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/19071 Accessed: 2024-11-06 01:26:23

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{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/19071 |title=Hanger |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-06 01:26:23|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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