Hanger (Hunting Sword)
- Medium
- steel; gold and silver damascened hilt
- Dimensions
- Overall: 73 cm (28 3/4 in.); Blade: 57.7 cm (22 11/16 in.); Quillions: 17.5 cm (6 7/8 in.)
- Genre
- arms and armor
- Museum
- Cleveland Museum of Art
Styles
Tags
Hilt: Italy (?); Blade: Germany, Saxony, late 16th-17th Century
About
Damascening, the technique of hammering gold and silver wires into grooves cut to receive them, enlivens this sword's hilt. Further texture was added with wires to improve the user's grip, which allowed him to hunt with more control and accuracy. Hunting was a popular sport among the wealthy and many nobles owned tracts of forest, but peasants were prohibited from hunting on these lands.