11-22-2013, 10:54 PM
Although without a proper examination my alligation of "looks like a forgery" was perhaps a bit harsh, it is based on a number of observations. The scabbard pieces are very atypical for a Roman sword, as is their placement. No sign of how this would have been used to suspend the sword. There is no apparent sign of a slider, a common way of fixing a sword in that period. The chape also has a strange design, non period. The pigeon is crudly sculpted and seems to be made of pewter rather then bronze or silver. It is not perforated so the tang could be peened solid, so how was it attached firmly to the tang? The "rusted look" is strange, was this sword not conserved after it had been found?
It would NOT be the first time an auction house sold objects of uncertain provenance, no provenance is given with this sword, other then that is comes from a private collection. By no means is a fact that an object was put up for auction a garantee of an object being legit.
The other Roman sword from the same collection is also VERY "unusual", here also I have serious doubt as to its pedigree. But he, that's just sitting behind a computer, reading tons of books and trampsing all over Europe looking at swords in display cases.
As to mr Withers being an expert on Roman swords, there are some who disagree with that notion, as one quick Google search revealed in the third hit down: http://british-swords.blogspot.nl/2008/0...words.html Being a sword dealer and an author does not make one an expert on swords of all periods IMHO
It would NOT be the first time an auction house sold objects of uncertain provenance, no provenance is given with this sword, other then that is comes from a private collection. By no means is a fact that an object was put up for auction a garantee of an object being legit.
The other Roman sword from the same collection is also VERY "unusual", here also I have serious doubt as to its pedigree. But he, that's just sitting behind a computer, reading tons of books and trampsing all over Europe looking at swords in display cases.
As to mr Withers being an expert on Roman swords, there are some who disagree with that notion, as one quick Google search revealed in the third hit down: http://british-swords.blogspot.nl/2008/0...words.html Being a sword dealer and an author does not make one an expert on swords of all periods IMHO
