490961 Basket-Hilt Broadsword ("Mortuary Sword"), hilt England c.1640-1650, blade Solingen, Germany, 18th Century (chiselled steel, inlaid gilt-silver foil, wood & wire grip) by European School; overall l:101.6 wt:1.12kg blade l:85.2 hilt w:13 cm; Cleveland Museum of Art, OH, USA; (add.info.: The decoration on this sword\'s hilt includes an image of King Charles I of England (beheaded in 1649). Because the image resembles the king\'s death mask, this sword is known as a "mortuary sword." It may have belonged to Sir Thomas Fairfax, a general of the Parliamentary cavalry during the English Civil War (1642-51). Large, double-edged broadswords, designed for heavy cavalry use, were common from the 1600s through the 1800s. ANDRIA FERRARA ); Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance; European, out of copyright.