2nd Troop Horse Guards officer's sword, British (c 1750)

Title	2nd Troop Horse Guards officer's sword
Nationality	British
Period	c 1750

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This extremely rare sword is marked on the guard, 'W.HARVEY', and on both sides of the blade, 'JASPAR BONGENS ME FECIT SOLINGEN'. The blade dates between 1620 and 1700 and could, therefore, have been made by Jaspar Bongens, father or son. In addition, it has the orb and cross mark associated with the Solingen cutlers of this period.

In addition to the engraved mark of the swordsmith, there is a punchmark to either side of the forte representing a cow's face. Signed English cavalry hilts of this period are almost non-existent. It has the original beechwood grip bound with black fishskin and silver wire, with Turks' heads top and bottom.

The sword has been tightened up at the tang, resulting in some discoloration of the patina and the hilt is loose, commensurate with the age of the piece. One of the arms of the hilt is detached from the guard at the junction, but this does not detract in a major way from the charm of the piece. There is a dark black patination to the whole of the guard, a mixture of old paint and rust, and the pommel is of the iron shape largely associated with the earlier part of the 18th century. The arms of the hilt meet the pommel in three slots, again an earlier feature rarely found on English cavalry swords much after 1750.

An illustration of the trooper's version of this sword can be seen in the painting of the 2nd Troop of Horse Guards, dated 1751, by David Morier in the Queen's Collection.

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[Edged Weapons : Swords : British : 18th Century]

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