PARTLY CIRCA 1600

Details

A RARE SWISS SABRE
Partly circa 1600
With long single-edged slightly curved blade double-edged towards the point, the guard of blackened iron, mainly of flat bars, comprising vertically recurved quillons terminating in separate cast gilt-brass lions' heads, large and small side-ring on the outside, arms, and on the inside, a saltire-shaped guard of slender round bars, set in the center of each quillon and side-ring with a small oval gilt-brass panel cast and chased with a Classical figure or scene in low relief within a pearled border, gilt-brass pommel cast and chased as a lion's head, and slightly curved wooden grip with gilt-copper ferrules and bound with twisted brass wire (gilding slightly rubbed throughout)
38¼in. (97.2cm.) blade

Literature

J.F. Hayward, 'Augsburg Swords', Waffen- und Kostümkunde, 39, 1980, pp. 13-14

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis

Lot Essay

Very few examples of this, the characteristic Swiss national sword of the 16th and early 17th centuries are to be found outside museums. The style of decoration relates closely to a group of hilts now ascribed to Augsburg. J.F. Hayward suggested that this example was either made there for a Swiss client, or else made in Augsburg style in Switzerland

See E.A. Gessler, 'Die Entwicklung des 'Schweizersäbels' im 16 bis ins 17 Jahrhundert', Zeitschrift für Historische Waffenkunde, VI, 1912-14, pp. 303-313

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