AMERICAN" AI^D EUROPEAN SWORDS 29 



senting eagles' plumage. The pommel is a brass eagle's head. The 

 lower part of the guard, which is bow-shaped, bears in the center 

 on each side a small portrait medallion of General Washington. The 

 shield is convex in form and bears an eagle with outstretched wings 

 holding thunderbolts in its talons. The scabbard, which is made 

 of brass, is ornately carved with floral and scroll designs. This sword 

 was acquired by the National Museum in 1926 from Mrs. C. E. Welsh. 

 The Alfred F. Hopkins collection contains also a sword -^ of this 

 type with a blade of the usual type decorated with small floral and 

 trophy designs. The grip is made of wood and is 4-sided, the top 

 and bottom being decorated with parallel grooves and the sides with 

 diagonal grooves forming diamond-shaped designs. The pommel 

 is made of brass and is a large flat half oval in shape ; it bears on the 

 obverse the United States arms flanked by large scrolls and on the 

 reverse laurel sprays similarly located. The knuckle guard is a flat 

 brass strip, the center of the obverse bearing a lion's head facing, 

 flanked by floral designs, all in light relief. The quillons are plain' 

 brass strips, the one above the blade terminating in an eagle's head. 

 To the obverse of the blade is attached a large brass shield decorated 

 with the United States coat of arms in flamboyant style, the eagle 

 being shown with excessively large wings. 



Another sword -« belonging to this series in the Alfred F. Hop- 

 kins collection is one of unique historical interest on account of the 

 designs on the scabbard. The blade is of the usual type and is 

 decorated both on the obverse and reverse in gold on a blue ground 

 with a small trophy between floral sprays. The grip is 4%ided; 

 the top and bottom are faced with brass strips and the sides with 

 ivory ; the whole is wound with 10 turns of gilt wire. The pommel 

 is a bronze eagle's head, from the beak of which depends a laurel 

 wreath, which forms the upper end of the guard. The lower side 

 of the knuckle guard is a bronze piece in the shape of a fluted column, 

 about which two serpents are encoiled. The plain quillons are com- 

 posed of a flat bronze strip to the obverse of which is affixed a large 

 octagonal shield bearing the coat of arms of the United States. 

 Though this sword is of exceptional interest on account of its unique 

 design, the scabbard is of even more historical significance. This 

 part is made of brass lightly silvered and bears on the obverse a 

 portrait, apparently intended to represent an American military 

 officer, between the United States shield surrounded by sprays of 

 laurel leaves and an eagle displayed. The lower portion of this 

 side of the scabbard is decorated with an elongated spray of laurel 

 leaves. 



^Length, 95 cm. Blade, 82.5 cm. long, 1.8 cm. wide. PI. 5, fig 5 

 »» Length, 89 cm. Blade, 75.5 cm. long, 2 cm. wide. PI. 5, flg. 4. " 



