Heavily inspired by the Wallace Collection's A550, this sword is closely customised to our client's fencing needs.
Our client was drawn to the A550's shapes and proportions but wanted to strip back some of its decoration to let the barwork do the talking. We met the in the middle with decorative linework across the rings, knuckleguard and quillons, and a simpler pommel inspired by the carvings on the original. The
As per our client's request, we also added some extra barwork to the counterguard, making the guard as a whole a formiddable piece of hand protection.
In the hand it is a highly versatile cut-and-thrust sword, with a deep hollow grind to the blade resulting in a mid-long pivot and a lively character. Its central balance helps it hold the central line, while its keen balance allows for quick transitions between cuts, thrusts and parries.
The sword's name comes from the Latin root for the word "segmented", which literally means "to cut". In this way it highlights both the striking hilt and pommel design, and the sword's aptitude as a cutting weapon.
Please see our pricing structure for an idea of what a similar sword would cost.
∴ Specs ∴
Total length: 113cm
Blade length: 99cm
Blade width at base: 2.7cm
Blade stock: 6mm
Grip length: 8cm
Grip and pommel: 12.5cm
Grip to guard: 6cm
Quillon span: 22.5cm
Weight: 1150g
Point of Balance: 14.5cm
Right-handed
Blunt edges
Rounded tip
Fencing safe flex
∴ Notes ∴
The hand-forged and heat-treated guard and pommel are treated to an antique finish. The guard is formed of a combination of square-section and rounded bars, and features straight square quillons with carved lines to the terminals. These line are echoed across the rings and knuckleguard.
The hollow elongated sphere pommel is hand-forged, carved with lined segments, and finished with a faceted nut. The oak grip features carved grooves and is wrapped in twisting steel wire with Turk's head knots to top and bottom.
∴ Gallery ∴
∴ A Steely Hold ∴
The sword lies dormant on the bottom shelf, surrounded by trinkets that time forgot. Dormant. Strange how that's the word that comes to mind - not lifeless, just resting. You kneel amongst the cobwebs and stacks of newspapers to examine it. The blade is worn, but still sharp enough to catch the dim light pressing against the dirty window.
You run your thumb across the lines carved over its grip and pommel, making it at once elegant and somehow insectoid, like the segments of a carapace. Glancing over your shoulder to be sure the shopkeeper's busy, you heft the sword slightly in your hand. There's a weight to it, and a keenness, as if there's more to it than steel.
You'd only wandered into the shabby-looking junk shop to escape the lunch-hour rain. You'd greeted the shopkeeper with a curt nod, and shuffled between shelves full of old books and bad taxidermy. You'd been keeping half an eye out for a present for your sister. You certainly weren’t looking for a sword, but the moment your eyes fell on it, you felt a pull.
Now, holding it in your hand, a strange stillness fills the already quiet room. The sword feels cold, colder than before, and as your fingers wrap around the steel wire of its grip, you think you hear a faint whisper.
For a moment, you wonder about its journey here - the smith that made it, the noble that wielded it, the fighter it outlived. You wonder how the shopkeeper came by it, how many collectors' hands it had passed between just to be here. You grip the hilt a little tighter, and something stirs in you—a sense that the story isn’t over yet.