Pattern 1827 Rifle Regiment Officer's Sword und Scheide , 1908.S.042

Hieb- und Stoßwaffe | Säbel | Scheide <Waffenkunde>

Pattern 1827 rifle regiment officer’s sword. It is a single-edged steel blade with a fuller (measuring 482mm in length) and a slight curve, which is sharpened on the final third of the blade on its false edge. This gives the blade the appearance of a spear point. The blade is separated from the hilt by a small leather washer. The weapon has a well-decorated ‘gothic hilt’. The guard, pommel and singular quillon are made from the same piece of steel. A protruding, peened tang button keeps the hilt together. The backpiece is smooth until halfway down, where its surface becomes that of dozens of miniscule pyramids, likely designed to improve the grip of the thumb. The grip is wooden, bound in fish skin and steel wire. The grip is separated from the guard by a ferrule, which has had three lines engraved around it to create four ridges of two different sizes. There is a small ovular hole on the guard near the pommel for a sword knot. The item is kept alongside its scabbard. There is a single notch in the blade, 441mm from the hilt. It is 1.5mm deep and 3mm wide. Aside from this there is no damage or sign of use on the entire object. The handle is nicely decorated in a manner typical for other swords of the same type. The guard branches off in to four bars on the lower half. The outermost continues around and back in on itself as a spiral. In the centre of the guard is an emblem consisting of a crown, a horn, and a knot. There is a small inlaid spiral on both sides of the quillon. There are no inscriptions or marks on the weapon which indicate when and where it was made. There is a proof mark on the ricasso but this could not be used to identify any origins (work consulted: May & Annis, vol. 2). The sword was previously dated to ‘nach 1829’ but the reasoning for this is unclear. Due to the proof mark on the blade it almost certainly stems from the second half of the century. This is further reinforced by the fact that the blade is fullered and not of the pipe back variety, which was replaced in 1845 and then itself abandoned in 1892.

Object Details

• Location: Deutsches Klingenmuseum Solingen DKM
• Inventory number: 1908.S.042
• Measurements: Gewicht: 710 g; Gesamtlänge: 965 mm; Klingenlänge: 825 mm; Klingenbreite: 25 mm; Klingenstärke: 8 mm
• Material/Technique: Klinge: Stahl; Gefäß: Stahl, Fischhaut, Draht, Stahl, Holz (?); Scheide: Blech, Messing
• Inscription/Labeling: Andere: 'stringed bugle in cartouche' ; Andere: Crown, Horn, Knot, Spiral Inlay

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Herstellung
• (where): Großbritannien
• (when): 1845 - 1892

Further information

• Sponsorship: Die Digitalisierung wurde gefördert durch die Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek aus Mitteln des Programms „Neustart Kultur“ der Beauftragten der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien.
• Last update: 22.04.2025, 9:59 AM CEST