Transcended

Maker: Peter Johnsson

Photographer: Lutz Hoffmeister (the Deutsches Klingenmuseum’s photographer)

This sword is part of the ‘Xiphos-Project’ and will be one of the many that will be shown in the exhibition “The Sword - Form and Thought”, to be held at Deutsches Klingenmuseum (German Blade Museum) in Solingen, from September 2015 to February 2016.

Talking about the sword, the maker says: “This sword must find a shape that was outside history and recognised types. Making a sword is relating to things that are familiar but often slightly misunderstood. Finding the true shape of a sword may involve exposing the unseen, or unexpected side of things. The sword is such a strong image that it can blind us, making us see only what is widely accepted. It is a weapon of course and charged with conflicting ideas and ideals.”

Peter Johnsson, born in the mid sixties, is a sword smith, designer and illustrator living in Sweden. Many of the swords from his smithy take the traditional forms of the European sword, but sometimes inspiration is drawn from dreams and myths resulting in swords of a time-less character. Much of his time is dedicated to the study of swords from ancient to early modern times in museums around Europe. During the past five years a focus has been his hypothesis of the use of geometry in the design of the medieval sword.

Pendant, Medieval Art

Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1987 Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY Medium: Gold, garnets with patterned foil backings

Beautiful gold decorated dagger with horn grip, Russian, mid 19th century.