Hand-and-a-Half Sword

Hand-and-a-Half Sword

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The name of this type of sword refers to the length of its hilt, which allows it to be wielded with one hand or two. 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.

Arms and Armor

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Hand-and-a-Half SwordHand-and-a-Half SwordHand-and-a-Half SwordHand-and-a-Half SwordHand-and-a-Half Sword

The principal goals of the Arms and Armor Department are to collect, preserve, research, publish, and exhibit distinguished examples representing the art of the armorer, swordsmith, and gunmaker. Arms and armor have been a vital part of virtually all cultures for thousands of years, pivotal not only in conquest and defense, but also in court pageantry and ceremonial events. Throughout time the best armor and weapons have represented the highest artistic and technical capabilities of the society and period in which they were made, forming a unique aspect of both art history and material culture.