Beautiful weaponry and more London images

Beautiful weaponry seems to be at odds….but I was amazed by the beauty and craftsmanship of the weaponry at both the tower of London and the Wallace Collection.  The hilts of the swords were embellished and filigreed and decorated to a high level of beauty.  I had to wonder if these were weapons for actual use or those created for show.

I thought there would be some inspiration in the different bobbles at the top of these swords.

A crystallized gun at the tower of london

 Spurs from the Wallace collection…..definitely some bead inspiration here.

My favorite sword handle, also bead inspiration….

and more London images, unrelated to beading but beautiful, I loved this window for it's simplicity and elegance and for those shoes!  They are so not Mark's style (nor probably his price range!) but I did really love them.

A beautiful gate which was either at the Wallace Collection or the Somerset house but I've lost track.  I love seeing this kind of intricate work that one finds in a city, and especially in old cities.

This was a grate that was at the Somerset house, how intricate a pattern for a grate….

And a final favorite shot from the London tube!

I'll move some of these to the inspiration files and see if they show up in some beadwork.