Beschreibung:

AN EXCEPTIONAL ENGLISH BASKET-HILTED SWORD By John Beckett, St. James's Street, London, dated 1761 With tapering Spanish blade double-edged and of flattened hexagonal section for two-thirds of its length, the remainder back-edged and finely etched on the outer side with the device of King Charles III ( reg . 1759-88), and the inscription 'Toledo Calisto Iubente Carolo 1761', all on a waved background and set within shaped borders of etched formal ornament, the inner side with a further device of King Charles III (The Old and New Worlds) surmounted by a royal crown, and the inscription 'Prisca Fruor Fama', all executed in similar fashion to the other side of the blade, bright steel guard composed of fluted bars of rectangular section involving an oval aperture with a chiselled foliate spray above and beneath, shaped panels finely pierced and chiselled in relief with Classical trophies of arms, and two applied front loops framing a further trophy of arms involving a cannon and the club of Hercules, turned domed pommel with prominent button en suite, original grip covered with green leather spirally bound with a silver ribbon and with chased silver collar at the top and bottom, and original liner of chamois leather faced with plum velvet, in its original iron-mounted tooled leather scabbard, the locket and chape each finely chiselled with a trophy of arms in relief against a punched ground, the former carrying an iron suspension-ring and with pricked signature 'Beckett Lordini' on the inner side within a rococo cartouche (frog-hook missing) 36¼in. (92.1cm.) blade