Higgins Armory Collection

Dive into the Viking Age using our 3D model on Sketchfab to get a closer look at this sword!

During the Viking Age, metalworkers were finally able to make long, thin blades that could take on heavy blows, making them rise in popularity. The skill required to forge a sword made it an expensive weapon, and fine examples like this one were status symbols for their owners.

While this sword has oxidized over time, when you look up close you can still see signs of wear from its working life--imagine the combat this sword might have seen. Decorated with a silver hilt, the owner could have been an important figure, or at least had great style!

If you had your own sword would you want a gold or silver hilt?

Let us know what you think!

Viking Sword with silvered hilt. Northern European, late 800s. Steel and silver inlay. The John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection, 2021.22

https://skfb.ly/pCMwI (Sketchfab)

https://worcester.emuseum.com/objects/57737/viking-age-sword-with-silvered-hilt?ctx=58dd913dcccdf7a03f7c2954429a05ad4d45eb5b&idx=0 (Collections Data)

Want to see a piece of armor up close and personal from your very own home? Check out this 3D interactive model of a Breastplate from a Siege Cuirass on Sketchfab! As fi****ms became more and more powerful, armor began to be designed to withstand bullets. The thick iron of this breastplate provided protection against bullets. On the front you can see a number of bullet marks, and on the back you can see a repair at the belly where the metal was broken by a bullet and patched with a small iron plate. While armor like this could stop a bullet, it is extremely heavy: at nearly 25 lbs, it weighs almost half as much as a full suit of medieval knightly armor! This was manageable in the trench warfare of a siege, but too heavy to be worn by soldiers marching on the battlefield, a good example of why armor would largely die out over the following century.

To view this object as well as others, go to the link below, or find a clickable link in our Linktree located in our bio.

https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/breastplate-from-a-siege-cuirass-201441-a1053cc7d5ff4e969bf203c81e8b4282

Breastplate from a Siege Cuirass. Probably German or Austrian, 1590–1600. Steel, brass, black paint. The John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection, 2014.4.1

Meet Annie Overbaugh, one of the WAM’s newest Arms and Armor Interns! Annie is a student at Clark University pursuing her undergraduate degree in Art History. She is excited to begin working with the newly opened Arms and Armor Galleries and to learn more about the Higgins Collection. She hopes her studies in Art History and previous museum experience will be useful in serving the museum and its guests. In her free time, she enjoys reading and crocheting.

Sword of Schalenknaupf ("bowl-pommel") type, about 1000–800 BCE. Bronze. The John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection, 2014.6