Page 210 - Auction84-Book1

LOT 352
Attractive, Engraved, Silver Mounted 16th Century Saxon Military Style Estoc - The estoc was a type of sword that came to prominence in the 16th century, its rise in use following that of the increased use of plate armour on the battlefield, which meant that traditional slashing swords became nearly useless. The solution branched off into two very distinct schools of thought; smash through the plate armour with maces, axes, and war hammers; or find and puncture the gaps in the armour with thin, stiff swords, one of which became known as the estoc. This example follows the general pattern of military estocs produced in Saxony during the 16th century, though this particular sword is slightly more
embellished than standard. It has a narrow, flattened diamond, tapered blade, that was likely never edged, with a distinct central ridge that carries nearly to the point. There are markings on both sides of the ricasso, mostly obscured by the lightly engraved languet/chappe that has a roped lip. The guard consists of straight, slightly upturned, spatulate quillions with light chevron engraving, a large side ring with central ridge on the right for protection of the knuckles, and a serpentine guard on the left with thumb rest and finger ring for protection of the forefinger and thumb, which provided increased precision in the thrust. The remainder of the hilt consists of a slightly swelled grip wrapped
in silver wire secured by silver cusped ferrules and an octagonal faceted, “scent stopper” pommel, capped with silver that is lightly engraved with flourishes of vine in each of the facets. The iron components of the hilt appear to have originally been blackened. It is 45 inches long overall with a 39 inch blade that is 1 3/16 inches wide just above the ricasso. The hilt is 5 7/8 inches long overall. This sword is of the type associated with the Saxon Electoral Armouries in Dresden. A very similar example can be seen in The Royal Armouries (Object Number: IX.1225), and another example showing similar characteristicsis in The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Accession Number: 14.25.1049). This sword would pair exceptionally well with the “left hand” parrying dagger in the next lot.
CONDITION: Very fine, the iron showing mostly a bright grey patina overall with some scattered patches of mild pitting, some scattered minor parrying nicks in the edges of the blade, and attractive antique patina on the silver mountings with crisp engraving. The majority of the wire on the grip remains tight with a few minor dings. A very attractive 16th century sword that would be a welcome addition to any antique arms collection!
Estimate: 8,000 - 12,000
LOT 353
Attractive, Finely Engraved, Silver Mounted 16th Century Saxon “Left Hand” Parrying Dagger with Matching Engraved and Mounted Scabbard - During the late 15th and early 16th century it became increasingly popular to wear a sword while in civilian dress, which in turn led to an increasing number of conflicts between individuals not wearing armour. The lack of armour in such a situation meant that parrying of the opponents strikes was far more important than when encased in plate armour. For this reason, a specialized dagger began to appear, like this example, intended to be wielded in the off hand alongside a rapier or estoc. The daggers main purpose was
for parrying the strikes of the opponent so that the sword wielding hand was free to make counter attacks, hence one of the common names for these types of daggers, the “left hand” dagger. Parrying daggers continued in popularity into the early 17th century when they began to fade away in favour of evolving schools of fencing which emphasized parrying with the sword alone. This beautiful example was made in Saxony sometime in the early 16th century and almost certainly came from the famous Saxon Electoral Armouries in Dresden. It has a stout, fast tapering, flattened diamond cross sectioned, double edged blade with single deep fullers on each side running three quarters of the length. Both sides of the long ricasso have grooves on either side of the fuller. The iron cruciform guard is Japanned black and has mushroom shaped quillions with small knob-like finials and a large side/thumb ring on the right (if used in the left hand). The grip is wrapped in silver wire with silver cusped ferrules, and it is fitted with an eight faceted spherical pommel embellished with floral vine engraving on the silver facets, and flush visible tang peen on the finial. It measures 17 3/8 inches overall with a 12 1/4 inch blade (2 inch ricasso). Includes a hardwood scabbard covered in black cloth with matching engraved large silver mountings. This dagger would pair wonderfully with the 16th century Saxon estoc in the previous lot which shows similar engraving patterns. CONDITION: Very fine, the blade mostly bright with a few scattered patches of light pitting. The guard retains approximately half of the black finish along with the iron parts of the pommel. The silver shows an attractive antique patina overall with the wire wrap slightly loose. The scabbard is also very fine, the cloth showing some wear and re-gluing and the silver an attractive aged patina. A beautiful piece of 16th century weaponry! Estimate: 12,000 - 18,000
208