Summary
Dutch dress or court sword made by Jan Hossee of Amsterdam in 1750-60. Straight blade with gilded decoration. Blade is inscribed 'Amoris vencula casta' in Latin ('The chaste bonds of love', a quotation from the works of Horace), and 'Jan Hossee myn swaard veger op de vijgendan tot Amsterdam' in old Dutch ('Jan Hossee, master swordcutter on the Vijgendan at Amsterdam').
The Vijgendan is part of Amsterdam's main square. Hossee lived there from 1705 to 1766. His father was a cutler in Solingen, Germany. (Correspondence, F.J. Kendall, 14.12.1959, supplementary file)
Physical Description
Gilded decoration covers full length of straight blade. Hilt, knuckle guard and heart shaped shell are of black metal, chiselled and pierced and have gold decoration. Blade is inscribed.
More Information
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Collecting Areas
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Acquisition Information
Loan & Subsequent Transfer from National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), E. A. Del Sarte, 10 Aug 1939
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Maker
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Inscriptions
Blade: 'Aamoris vencula casta' in Latin, and 'Jan Hossee myn swaard veger op de vijgendan tot Amsterdam' in old Dutch.
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Classification
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Category
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Discipline
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Type of item
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Overall Dimensions
930 mm (Length), 95 mm (Width), 70 mm (Depth)
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References
Information on Jan Hossee is provided by Museums of South Africa at [Link 1] accessed 12/12/2022.
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Keywords