Sword miniatures
Sword miniatures, also known as portrait miniatures, or simply miniatures, were tiny paintings on a lufwood[1] basis attached to the pommels of Knight Academic's swords. Every Knight Academic had a sword miniature painted for them by the Professor of Colour and Light Studies when they joined the Knights Academy. This tiny painting was then glued to the pommel of the knights' swords with ironwood sap when they graduated to the Upper Halls. This ritual was performed by a High Professor.
Quint's Sword Miniature
History
Quint's was painted by Ferule Gleet just before he joined the Knights Academy. It showed him, wearing shinging armour that was too large for him, with the Mistsifting Towers and Loftus Observatory in the background.
He later passed his sword, with the portrait attached, on to Twig when he was dying. When Twig left the slaughterer village, he removed the painting from the sword, and hid it in the lining of Keris' hammelhornskin waistcoat. Tweezel discovered it hidden there when he searched Keris' belongings after she arrived in the Freeglades. She then passed it on to her son, Rook, who, in turn, passed it on to his eldest son.
The portrait continued to be handed down through the generations, until it reached Abe Quarter, who gave it to his wife, Hermia, on their wedding day. After her death, he gave it to Nate. In Lake Landing, Nate discovered a portrait that showed Rook with the portrait worn like a necklace and was told by the Professor of the history of these portraits, name abbreviations and his own ancestors. Before beginning his descent at the end of The Immortals, Nate handed the portrait to Eudoxia, promising his return.
Appearances
It appeared in The Winter Knights, The Slaughterer's Quest, Freeglader and The Immortals.
Trivia
Quint's sword miniature can be seen as a literary device called a Chekhov's Gun.
Known Portrait Miniatures
- ↑ The Blooding of Rufus Filatine, Chapter 5: Pursuit