Oakeshott Type XVIIIa Sword Probably Central European

Before being acquired by William H. Riggs, this sword was in the collection of Sir Samuel Rush Meyrick (1783–1848), founder of the modern study of arms and armor. Meyrick purchased the sword from a London dealer in 1818. It was included in a watercolor by the French painter Eugène Delacroix (1797–1863), which he made during a visit to Meyrick’s collection in 1825. The sword was catalogued as possibly English in the early nineteenth century, but its place of origin remains uncertain.

Date: 15th century

Culture: European

Steel, Leather, Wood

Dimensions: L. 48 3/8 in. (122.9 cm); L. of blade, 36 7/8 in. (93.7 cm); Wt. 3 lb. 9 oz. (1618 g)

For more information on Oakeshott Type XVIIIa Swords see this extract from Ewart Oakeshott's Records of the Medieval Sword: www.sword-site.com/thread/183/oakeshott-xviii-xviiia-records-medieval

Source: www.metmuseum.org/collections/search-the-collections/35888?img=2