Measuring about 22 inches long and 13 1/4 inches tall, this rather large horn shows a cream and black color overall, darkest at the tip, with a pair of German silver suspension bands and a German silver throat and cap, the latter topped with a 2 inch tall silver Imperial eagle and secured to the upper band with a length of chain. A small support leg is installed on the rear, allowing the horn to stand freely, and a 4 5/8 inch wide German silver shield on the front adorned with a 1 1/8 inch wide silver totenkopf skull. The inscription on the shield reads (translated) "To Our Outgoing Comrade, Count von Schlieffen, from the Officer Corps of the Life Guard Hussars Regiment, 1891". Operating out of Potsdam, the Life Guard Hussars were a component of the Guard Corps, one of the chief combat formation of the Kingdom of Prussia and later the German Empire, which saw combat in the Austro-Prussian War, Franco-Prussian War and World War I. Count Alfred von Schlieffen was born in 1833, and though he was a descendant of a line with a long history of Prussian military service he had no interest in the army, studying law at the University of Berlin until he was compelled to take a year of mandatory service. During that year he made so strong an impression on his commanders that he was nominated as an officer candidate, setting him on the career he would follow for the rest of his working life. By the age of 25 he was selected to attend the General War School, which led to a posting on the General Staff, the logistic and strategic brain trust of the Prussian and Imperial German Army. Over the following years he alternated between staff postings and cavalry service, seeing combat at the Battle of Koniggratz and in the Loire Valley, becoming Chief of the General Staff in 1891 and General of Cavalry by 1893. In 1905 he was kicked in the chest by a cavalry horse, forcing his retirement in 1906, and died at home in 1913, shortly before the outbreak of World War I. During his time with the General Staff, he drafted plans for a hypothetical war with France. The first, Aufmarsch I (Deployment Plan One), called for a rush through Belgium to evade the main French fortifications and threaten Verdun and Paris, forcing the defenders to abandon their positions and engage in decisive battle. The second, Aufmarsch II, was intended to counter a double invasion by the French and Russians, with a conventional defense in the East and counter-attacks against the French to crush their invasion on German soil. These plans were effectively combined by Schlieffen's successor to form the Schlieffen Plan; using the Belgian attack to knock out the French and redirect all forces at the Russians. Originally calling for a minimum of 1.36 million combat troops, the basic strategy of Aufmarsch I was executed with only 970,000, failed to provoke a decisive battle, and resulting in years of trench warfare on the Western Front. Well after his death Schlieffen would continue to be a major influence on military thought, with the Nazis revisiting his ideas on maneuver warfare in general and a Belgian break-through into France in particular, and his writings being mandatory reading for most of the American general officers in World War II.

Very good, with a mild crack in the front near the throat, some play in the lower suspension band and minor handling marks overall. An attractive piece of Imperial German military memorabilia, connected to one of the major names in 20th century military strategy.