241 |
A NORTH GERMAN BOAR SPEAR FROM THE COURT HUNT OF ERNST AUGUST, DUKE OF BRUNSWICK AND LUNEBURG, ELECTOR OF HANOVER, PRINCE BISHOP OF OSNABRUCK (1629-1698), LATE 17TH CENTURY with heavy leaf-shaped blade of hollow-diamond section, socket of hexagonal-section engraved with the Ducal monogram at the base, on an early oak haft bound with a pattern of leather trellis, and complete with a staghorn toggle 33cm; 13in head PROVENANCE Schloss Marienburg £1000-1200 | Nil |
|
2200 |
| 242 | A GERMAN BOAR SPEAR, LATE 17TH CENTURY with heavy leaf-shaped blade of hollow-diamond section, socket of hexagonal-section, on an early oak haft bound with a pattern of leather trellis, and complete with a later staghorn toggle 35cm; 13 3/4in head £1000-1200 | Nil |
|
|
| 243 | A GERMAN BOAR SPEAR FROM THE SAXON ELECTORAL HUNT, 17TH CENTURY with heavy leaf-shaped blade of hollow-diamond section, conical socket stamped with crowned electoral arms, on a later wooden haft bound with a trellis pattern of leather, and complete with a later staghorn toggle 27.8cm; 10 7/8in head £800-1000 | Nil |
|
1000 |
| 244 | A GERMAN BOAR SPEAR, LATE 17TH/18TH CENTURY with long leaf-shaped blade of hollow-diamond section, short tapering socket, on an early leather bound haft carved in imitation of foliage over the lower portion (the head with areas of light pitting) 52.5cm; 20 3/4in head £800-1200 | Nil |
|
800 |
| 245 | A GERMAN BOAR SPEAR, LATE 17TH/18TH CENTURY with tapering blade formed with a pronounced central ridge on one side and flat on the reverse, tapering socket, on a wooden haft studded with iron nails (the head with areas of pitting) 56.4cm; 22 1/4in head £800-1200 | Nil |
|
800 |
| 246 | A SPEAR, 18TH CENTURY with broad flat leaf-shaped blade, and a pair of long straps, on its wooden haft, together with three similar spears the first: 52.7cm; 20 3/4in head (4) £200-250 | Nil |
|
150 |
| 247 | A EUROPEAN SPEAR, 18TH CENTURY with blade of hollow-diamond section, asymmetrical conical socket moulded at the base, on a later wooden haft; and three lances, each on its wooden haft the first:16.8cm; 6 5/8in head (4) £150-250 | Nil |
|
300 |
| 248 | A FINE INDIAN CHA'AINA, LAHORE, LATE 17TH CENTURY comprising four plates, the breast and backplate each fitted with six pierced shaped buckles decorated with gold koftgari, the side-guards each shaped for the arms and fitted with four matching buckles, decorated throughout with a large central panel finely chiselled with scrolling foliage centring on a shaped cartouche filled with an expanded flowerhead, the borders filled with a running pattern of gold koftgari scrolling foliage framed by panels of stars, the borders with plain gilded turns, and each with its original silk-covered padded lining the main plates (the lining with areas of wear) the breastplate 29.2cm; 11 1/2in high (4) Inv. nos. A078 & A080. A similar Cha'Aina, complete with Dastana and Top is illustrated in P.Missillier & H.Ricketts 1988, p.110, no.185. £1200-1500 | Nil |
|
7000 |
| 249 | AN INDIAN CHA'AINA, 18TH CENTURY comprising four plates each fitted with four pierced shaped buckles decorated with gold koftgari (four buckles missing), the breastplate and side plates each shaped for the arms, the borders decorated with fine koftgari cartouches filled with fine scrollwork (small areas of wear), and the borders studded with early copper rivets for attaching a lining the breastplate 33cm; 13in high (4) Inv. nos. A079 & A081. £400-600 | Nil |
|
3200 |
| 250 | A RARE OTTOMAN TURKISH SHIELD, EARLY 16TH CENTURY of convex circular form, fitted at its centre with a separate boss of low ogival form decorated with twelve shallow flutes radiating from a later central spike issuing from a large ornamental washer and retained at the rear by a nut and smaller washer, the boss surrounded by four large and thirty-five smaller bosses (one of the latter replaced), probably representing working-life additions, of oval form decorated in each case with six radiating panels of incised chevrons, one of the smaller bosses partly overlying the Ottoman ownership mark, the shield bordered by numerous round-headed lining-rivets (six missing, the remainder replaced) and fitted at its rear with fragmentary remains of later leather enarmes (showing some losses at the edges, a patched repair, three minor perforations and pitting overall) I52.6cm.; 20 3/4 in diameter Inv. no. A106. The shield is proved by its ownership mark to have derived from the Ottoman Turkish arsenal, housed, until recent times, in the church of Hagia Eirene (St Irene), Istanbul (formerly Constantinople). Although a substantial part of its original contents remain in Istanbul today as part of the city's Askerî Müze (Military Museum), many pieces were sold from the arsenal in the 19th and 20th centuries, to find their way into European and American collections. Photographs of the arsenal taken in its original home in 1889 show it to have originally included many shields of the kind catalogued here (see S. W. Pyhrr 2007, figs 3-6 &, 13). A finely decorated example is now to be seen in the Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds (see H. R. Robinson 1967, pl. X, A), while another was exhibited in Paris in 1988 (see H. Ricketts & P. Missilier 1988, Cat. No. 3, p. 154, ill.). £3000-4000 | Nil |
|
4000 |
| 251 | AN ITALIAN SWEPT-HILT RAPIER, EARLY 17TH CENTURY with tapering blade of flattened-hexagonal then flattened-diamond section, retaining traces of a stamped inscription within a short fuller on each face, tapering ricasso engraved with a maker's mark on each side, steel hilt formed of a symmetrical arrangement of moulded bars comprising a pair of vertically recurved quillons with bulbous terminals each pierced with an elaborate pattern of interlacing branches, triangular écusson, knuckle-guard, outer ring-guard joined to the knuckle-guard by an additional bar, two lower ring-guards of diminishing size, the lower fitted with a pierced sprung-in plate (the outer missing its plate), a pair of arms, globular pommel pierced with an elaborate pattern of interlacing twigs matching the quillons, and the bars all interrupted with globular mouldings pierced en suite with the quillons and pommel (later grip, pitted and cleaned throughout) 112cm; 44in blade Inv. no. E034. £3000-4000 | Nil |
|
4600 |
| 252 | AN ENGLISH BASKET-HILTED BACKSWORD, THIRD QUARTER OF THE 18TH CENTURY with fullered blade (the lower half missing), formed with a pair of brass filled recesses at the forte (losses), asymmetrical steel hilt formed of slender bars arranged in a grid pattern, drawn-in at the base into three heart-shaped panels and at the top into three diamond-shaped panels (one missing), plain bun-shaped pommel, and later wooden grip (patinated throughout, two bars of the hilt cracked) 34.5cm; 13 1/2in blade Inv. no. E327. £400-500 | Nil |
|
1000 |
| 253 | A FINE AND RARE SCOTTISH BACK-SWORD WITH BASKET HILT SIGNED BY WALTER ALLAN OF STIRLING, SECOND QUARTER OF THE 18TH CENTURY with straight blade double-edged for the last portion, stamped 'Andria Farara' over a pair of long slender fullers and cut with a pair of shorter fullers on each face, steel basket-hilt of moulded wavy bars joining at a ring beneath the pommel, comprising forward guard formed of a pair of bars, main knuckle-guard formed of a broad plate pierced with three horizontal panels of slipped circles alternating with diamonds in the top and bottom panels and quatrefoils in the centre, all framed with a broad flute top and bottom, side-guard formed of a central panel pierced with circular arrangements of hearts enclosed by a ramshorn finial top and bottom (one bar on one side and two on the other cracked), additional rear guard (two bars with early repairs), scrolling wrist guard (repaired), stamped with the maker's initials and the letter 'S' beneath the rear quillon (the first letter obscured), enriched throughout with wrigglework and incised circles, bun-shaped pommel cut with diagonal fluting framed by incised lines, original sharkskin-covered grip bound with silver ribband, with a shaped silver collar top and bottom, and complete with an early red felt doeskin liner 90.2cm; 35 1/2in blade Inv. no. E036. LITERATURE Cyril Mazansky, British Basket-Hilted Swords, Suffolk 2005, p. 157, illustrated. Walter Allan was admitted freeman of the Incorporation of Hammermen of Stirling in 1732 and became Deacon of the same in 1737. For a discussion of this maker see W. Reid 1963, pp.16-21. A number of comparable swords signed by this maker and with blades signed in a similar manner are illustrated in Culloden 1996, pp. 40-43. £5000-6000 | Nil |
|
16000 |
| 254 | A RARE COMBINED FLINTLOCK PISTOL AND HUNTING SWORD, CIRCA 1770 with straight fullered blade double-edged towards the point, steel hilt formed of a pierced down-turned scalloped shell-guard, moulded knuckle-guard and gadrooned pommel, fitted with cannon barrel on the right-hand side of the forte, struck with a spurious proof mark at the breech, the pan and steel mounted on the left of the forte, and natural staghorn grip incorporating the cock, trigger and enclosing the mainspring (defective) 67cm; 26 3/8in blade Inv. no. E199. £1200-1800 | Nil |
|
2100 |
| 255 | A FINE SILVER-ENCRUSTED RAPIER POMMEL, EARLY 17TH CENTURY, PROBABLY ENGLISH of slightly-flattened hollow ovoid form, decorated on each face in silver with a cherubic espagnolette enclosed by delicately scrolling roped tendrils terminating in mulberries of differing size, the sides with sheaves of leafy tendrils, enriched throughout with pellets, and retaining some original blueing and gilding 6.5cm; 2 5/8in high Inv. no. E7. The Royal accounts of the reign of James I include a number of references to payments for silver and gold decorated swords from the Royal Cutler Robert South. A sword pommel, cross-piece and by-knife decorated in a strikingly similar manner are preserved in the Victoria and Albert Museum (Inv. no. M.28). The by-knife is stamped with the mark of the London Cutler's Company and the maker's mark of John Bushell. See C. Blair 1974, pp. 83-6 and A.R.E. North 1982, p. 7. £600-800 | Nil |
|
700 |
| 256 | A MACE FORMED ENTIRELY OF STEEL IN GERMAN 16TH CENTURY STYLE, 19TH CENTURY the head formed of eight shaped flanges, with conical finial above and a coronet-shaped moulding beneath, two-stage steel haft interrupted by a roped moulding, and the lower portion pierced for a thong 54cm; 21 1/4in Inv. no. P010. £800-1000 | Nil |
|
500 |
| 257 | A PAIR OF ITALIAN GILT-BRONZE PARADE STIRRUPS, LAST QUARTER OF THE 16TH CENTURY cast in relief, formed with arched sides decorated with addorsed demi-figures beneath a pair of satyrs and a putti at the top, with integral loop behind a scalloped grotesque mask, oval treads engraved with broad scrolls, pierced with a diamond-shaped hole in the centre and with a toothed foot grip at the front, and retaining much early gilding throughout 18cm; 7in high Inv. nos. H005 & H006. A stirrup of similar design formerly in the Meyrick Collection is illustrated Meyrick 1836, pl.LXXXI, no.3. Another is preserved in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (inv. no. 14.25.1756A. See S. V. Grancsay 1955, no. 136. £2500-3000 | Nil |
|
2200 |
| 258 | A COMPOSITE SOUTH GERMAN FLUTED HALF-ARMOUR FOR FIELD USE IN THE SO-CALLED 'MAXIMILIAN' FASHION, CIRCA 1510-20 comprising close helmet formed of a broad rounded one-piece skull with 'bellows' visor and bevor attached by a pair of low-domed common pivots, the visor prominently stepped beneath its centrally-divided vision-slit, pierced in three rows with ten horizontal ventilation-slots and fitted at its right side with a lifting-peg, the bevor flanged outwards at its lower edge to form a short neck-guard (slightly trimmed at its centre, the flange and left side of the bevor each showing riveted and brazed repairs) and secured to the right side of the skull by a spring-catch (push-button replaced), and one lame of a rear neck-guard (incomplete right end missing), collar of four lames front and rear (the top front lame with a later hole at the centre, the lowest front lame with a large patch at the left side, the lowest rear lame with minor chips and cracks at its main edges), breastplate formed of a rounded main plate pierced at its right side with a pair of holes for the attachment of a lance-rest and fitted with moveable gussets at the arm-openings and a flanged lame at the waist, the latter restored at its outer ends with riveted patches and bearing a stud and turning-pin for the attachment of a fauld of three lames the lowest of which supports a pair of tassets each of four lames (partly reworked), backplate formed of a main plate, a pair of side-plates and a waist-lame, the latter flanged outwards to receive a culet of one lame indented at the centre of its lower edge, the upper edge of the main plate stuck with an indistinct mark, probably the quality control mark of the city of Nuremberg, spaudlers almost forming a pair, each comprised of seven lames overlapping outwards from the third (the front of the second lame of the left one repaired with a riveted internal patch) and connected by a turner to a fully articulated vambrace formed of a tubular upper and lower cannon (the lower one in each case repaired at its inside with a large riveted internal patch) each fitted at the inside of the elbow with a pair of narrow lames (the upper one of the lower cannon in each case missing) and connected by a couter of five lames overlapping outwards from the third which is decorated on the point of the elbow with an embossed and cross-hatched cinquefoil and has a small bilobate wing at the front fitted with a turning pin to secure a larger overlying detachable oval wing with a medial pucker, and gauntlets almost forming a pair, each comprised of a short straight-ended cuff with a hinged inner plate (the right one now held shut by a later rivet), five metacarpal-plates, a knuckle-plate, five finger-plates and a hinged thumb-defence of three lames, the armour decorated overall with groups of flutes emphasised by pairs of incised lines, and at its main edges with inward turns, mainly plain but in some cases roped, and often accompanied by recessed borders (moderate pitting and wear overall, some cracks and perforations): on a metal stand Inv. no. A53. The helmet forming part of this armour very likely derives from a group of fluted close helmets that were deposited as booty in the Imperial Arsenal of St Irene in Istanbul, probably taken from the Knights of St John at Rhodes when they surrendered to the Ottoman Turkish forces of Suleyman the Magnificent in 1522. A high proportion of the helmets have had their neck-lames and the lower edges of their bevors removed, as in the present case. Four are still preserved in the Askeri Museum, Istanbul. See S. W. Pyhrr 1989, pp. 89 & 94, figs 8 & 17. Another is preserved in the Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds, II.14. See A. R. Dufty & W. Reid 1968, pl. XC.c. The embossed and cross-hatched cinquefoils on the points of the elbows and detachable wings on the couters of the armour described here closely resemble those preserved as part of a composite 'Maximilian' armour in Leeds. Very similar detachable wings can also be recorded on a pair of 'Maximilian' vambraces formerly in the armoury of Schloss Kefermarkt, Upper Austria, and the collection of the late Stephen V. Grancsay, New York. £25000-30000 | Nil |
|
30000 |
| 259 | A COMPOSITE EUROPEAN FIELD ARMOUR, 16TH CENTURY comprising close helmet formed of a one-piece skull rising to a high roped comb (its crest damaged, the lower left corner of the face-opening patched) and fitted at the nape with a plume-holder, earlier visor and bevor attached by common pivots (replaced), the former of rounded 'sparrow's-beak' form having a stepped centrally-divided vision-slit and numerous small circular ventilation-holes at each side (the right edge patched, the beak pierced with two large rust-holes), and two gorget-plates front and rear (the lower front one restored, the lower rear one patched at its left end), early 17th century collar formed of a single deep plate front and rear, breastplate of late 'peascod' form (patched at the left side and centre of waist) with moveable gussets at each arm-opening, fauld of three lames, the lowest cut with a shallow arch over the crotch and bearing a pair of detachable tassets each of nine lames, extending to just above the knees, one-piece backplate shaped to the shoulders and flanged outwards at its lower edge (patch at left of flange) to receive a culet of one lame (patched at either end), small symmetrical pauldrons each of six lames (the top three of the left and the top one of the right patched at their front ends) connected by turners to vambraces (not a pair) each formed of a tubular upper and lower cannon articulated to one another by a winged couter of three lames, the wing of the left one formed as a separate plate, mitten gauntlets (not an exact pair), each formed of a long pointed tubular cuff, five metacarpal-plates, a knuckle-plate with boldly roped transverse rib, and four finger plates (thumb-defences lacking), and a pair of 19th century greaves of tubular construction each articulated four times at the ankle, pierced with an aperture to accommodate a spur and fitted with an integral broad-toed sabaton of seven lames, the main edges of the armour turned inwards and decorated, except on the collar, with file-roping, the collar decorated with incised bands and borders enclosed by volutes, chevrons and punched beads, the breastplate, backplate, pauldrons and upper cannons of the vambraces etched in line with symmetrical sprays of stylised acanthus foliage issuing, in the case of the breastplate, from a grotesque mask at the centre of the neck-opening, the couters, upper cannons of the vambraces, gauntlets and tassets later etched on a blackened ground with quatrefoils framed in part by repeated lozenges and engrailed bands (showing significant pitting and wear with some cracking, bruising, perforation and disarticulation throughout), stand not included Inv. no. A086. The etched decoration of the breastplate, backplate, pauldrons and upper cannons of the vambraces identifies them as part of a series of armours made for the use of the Swiss Papal Guard. Other armours of the series can be recorded in the Museo Civico L. Marzoli, Brescia, Inv. Nos 860, 927-8, 941 & 947, see F. Rossi & N. di Carpegna 1969, Cat. Nos 22-5 & 44, pp. 22-3 & 30); the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, Acc. No. Hen. M.1.2A-c-1933, see I. Eaves 2002, pp. 123-5, ill.; and the Art Institute, Chicago, see W. J.. Karcheski, Jr 1995, p. 68, ill.. The decoration - originally gilt on a blued ground - has in all cases been applied about 1700 to elements of late 16th and early 17th century North Italian make. £18000-24000 | Nil |
|
26000 |
| 260 | A COMPOSITE EUROPEAN CUIRASSIER'S ARMOUR, EARLY 17TH CENTURY comprising close helmet formed of a rounded one-piece skull from an early 16th century armet, rising to a low roped medial comb pierced, and fitted at the nape fitted with a brass plume-holder (replaced) and two rear gorget-plates, peak and bevor attached by common pivots (replaced), the peak fitted within its brow with a barred face-defence cut with a pair of large rectangular vision-slits and later etched with bands of foliate interlace and guilloche, the bevor fitted with a falling buff of three lames, each pierced with numerous circular ventilation-holes, and three front gorget-plates, collar formed of a single deep plate front and rear, heavy breastplate of vestigial 'peascod' fashion formed of a main plate with an internal reinforce, the former flanged outwards at it lower edge to receive a pair of long tassets each formed of ten upward overlapping lames divisible between the seventh and eighth and terminating in winged poleyns of five lames, heavy backplate with outward-flanged lower edge, the breastplate and backplate each bearing the proof-mark of a bullet, large symmetrical pauldrons each formed of nine lames overlapping outwards from the fifth and connected by a turner to a vambrace formed of a tubular upper and lower cannon articulated to one another by a winged bracelet couter of three lames, the main edges of the armour decorated with inward turns in part roped and accompanied by recessed borders, its surfaces variously decorated with bands of incised lines and roped ribs (the armour showing pitting and wear overall with some cracking, bruising, patching and disarticulation, particularly in the pauldrons and vambraces) Inv. no. A090. £8000-10000 | Nil |
|
11000 |
| 261 | A FINE NORTH ITALIAN ETCHED CLOSE HELMET FOR A CUIRASSIER, CIRCA 1620 formed of a two-piece skull joined along a high medial comb recessed at the apex to receive a finial (missing), embossed with a radiating pattern of shallow flutes, pierced over each ear with nine circular ventilation-holes in rosette formation and fitted at the nape with a plume-holder, obtusely-pointed peak, flat upper bevor and bevor attached by common pivots (the right replaced), the upper bevor and bevor each secured at the right side by a swivel-hook, the upper bevor pierced between a pair of large rectangular vision-slits and a semi-circular ventilation-slit for the mouth with alternating rows of circular and rectangular ventilation-holes of smaller size, two gorget-plates at the front, the lowest descending at its centre to a rounded point, and one gorget-plate at the rear (the second missing), the main edges of the helmet decorated with plain inward turns, its surfaces etched overall on a pearled ground amid branches of stylised symmetrical foliage with bands of guilloche enclosing trophies-of-arms, and involving at the point of the chin and at the centre of the gorget-plates respectively, a lion's mask and a lion grasping a further trophy-of-arms (the left of the peak and the left of the upper gorget-plates showing losses, the right of the peak, the left of the upper front gorget-plate and the front left of the lowest front gorget plate repaired with riveted internal patches, minor cracks and perforations, some patination and wear overall) Inv. no. A017. The etched decoration of this helmet closely resembles that of a fine, early 17th century Italian cuirass and reinforcing breastplate, probably belonging to the same armour, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Acc. Nos 14.25.796, 797 & 817. See S.V.Grancsay 1955, cat. no. 16, pp. 8-9). £10000-12000 | Nil |
|
27000 |
| 262 | A FINE NORTH ITALIAN ETCHED AND GILT LEFT TASSET FOR FIELD USE, CIRCA 1590-1600, PROBABLY MILANESE formed of a single plate widening slightly to its lower end and embossed to simulate ten lames, its lower corners rounded, its upper edge fitted with three suspension-buckles (the hasps replaced), its surface etched in five vertical bands and in a border accompanying its main edges with foliate strapwork, trophies-of-arms and fantastic animals, all gilt on a stippled and blackened ground, and enclosed in each case by trios of narrower bands of which the central one is decorated with etched and gilt guilloche, its main and simulated edges all decorated with file-roped turns or ribs (one chip and several small cracks in main edge, four vacant rivet-holes in upper end) Inv. no. A202. Tassets of a very similar design are preserved in the armoury of the Knights of the Order of St John, Malta, Cat. No. 91, as part of an armour made by Pompeo della Chiesa of Milan for Jean de Valette, Grand Master of the Order (see S. C. Spiteri 2003, p. 371, fig. A5). A further pair of tassets of this design, formerly in the same armoury, are now in the collection of H.M. The Queen, at Sandringham. Others, bearing the signature of Pompeo, occur as parts of armours at Wilton House, Wiltshire, made by him for Henry Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (see F. H. Cripps-Day 1925, p. 268, fig. 205), and in the Hofjagd- und Rüstkammer, Vienna, Inv. Nos A 1283 & 1428 (L. G. Boccia & E. T. Coelho 1967, fig. 348). They also occur, however, on the armours of other Milanese makers of the late 16th century, as for example, one in the Art Institute, Chicago, Acc. No. 1982.2194, by the Master IFP (L. Tarassuk 1986, Cat. Nos 6 & 9, pp. 16-17, fig. 12), and one by the Master of the Triple-Towered Castle, formerly in the collection of the Earl of Harrington (Sotheby's, London, 4 May 1964, lot 174). £2000-2500 | Nil |
|
1800 |
| 263 | A FINE NORTH ITALIAN ETCHED AND GILT BREASTPLATE FOR FIELD USE, PROBABLY MILANESE, CIRCA 1590-1600 of late 'peascod' fashion, formed of a single heavy plate with deep neck and arm-openings, etched in borders around its neck and arm-openings and in seven diverging vertical bands with bands of interlacing strapwork, partly blackened and partly burnished on a stippled and gilt ground, enclosed in each case by narrower bands of guilloche and engrailing, and involving oval cartouches enclosing classical subjects including representations of Victory and Mars, and fantastic animals, all gilt on a stippled and blackened ground, the main edges of the breastplate decorated with file-roped inward turns, and the lance-rest and its retaining-screws gilt (showing some patches of patination and light wear), fitted with a buff leather shoulder-strap (replaced) to either side, three further later buff leather straps for the attachment of a pair of tassets to its outward-flanged lower edge on each side, and a pair of threaded holes, reinforced at the rear, at the right of the chest for the attachment by means of two baluster-headed slotted screws of a lance-rest with a bevelled sub-rectangular base-plate and a folding arm of angular section, roped at its front edge and fitted on its underside with a lever-operated spring-catch, 42cm; 16 1/2in high inv. no. A095. ` The etched decoration of the breastplate is of a pattern employed by several Milanese armours of the late 16th century, including one who signed himself with the initials IFP on a half armour in the Art Institute, Chicago, Acc. No. 1982.2194, and another who signed himself with a triple-towered castle on a visor and bevor in the same collection, Acc. No. 1982.2493 (see L. Tarassuk 1986, Cat. Nos 6 & 9, pp. 15-16, figs 10 & 14). The pattern is particularly associated, however, with Pompeo della Chiesa, recorded 1571-93, who had his workshop in the Castello Sforzesco, Milan (see A. V. B. Norman 1986, p. 31). It occurs, for example, on a signed half-armour at Wilton House, Wiltshire, made by him for Henry Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (F. H. Cripps-Day 1925, p. 268, fig. 205). Further signed works of Pompeo, such as a cap-a-pié armour in the Museo Stibbert, Florence, Inv. No. 3476, a half-armour in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Cat. No. 32, and a further half-armour in the armoury of the Knights of St John, Malta, Cat No. 91, the close helmet of which is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Acc. No. 14.25.652, show the pattern employed in conjunction with intervening panels of trophies (See L. G. Boccia 1975, Cat. No. 23, pl. 24; C. Otto von Kienbusch 1963, pp. 46-7, pl. XXXIII; and S. C. Spiteri 2003, pp. 274-5, figs A1-5). The pattern occurs on its own on a cuirassier armour in the Museo di Capodimonte, Naples, Inv. No. 35712 & 4183 (see L. G. Boccia & E. T. Coelho 1967, fig. 404), on a half-armour bearing the triple-towered castle mark, formerly in the collection of the Earl of Harrington (Sotheby's, London, 4 May 1964, lot 174), the close helmet of which (Sotheby's, London, 12 October 1976, lot 300) is now reunited with it, a half armour bearing a double-towered castle mark, in the Museo Civico L. Marzoli, Brescia, Inv. No. 999 (see F. Rossi & N. di Carpegna 1969, Cat. No. 18, pp. 20-1), and several detached elements in the Wallace Collection, London, Cat. Nos A58 & 59 (see J. G. Mann 1962, pp. 29-32). It is possible that the breastplate under discussion derives from the same garniture as one or more of these pieces. £10000-15000 | Nil |
|
28000 |
| 264 | A FINE PAIR OF SOUTH GERMAN ETCHED AND GILT GAUNTLETS, CIRCA 1560, PROBABLY LANDSHUT each formed of a flared and obtusely-pointed cuff with fixed inner plate, its upper edge turned inwards and bearing slight traces of file-roping, the lower end of its outer plate decorated over the ulna with an almond-shaped boss, six upward-overlapping metacarpal-plates, shaped knuckle-plate and finger-plate, finely etched and gilt in recessed borders and medial bands and on the knuckle- and finger-plates with bands of arabesque interlace, and at the upper edges of each metacarpal-plate with narrower bands of rectangular guilloche (cuff of left gauntlet slightly deformed, lowest five plates of left, and inner cuff -plate of right gauntlet probably restored using old plates, both lacking scaled finger- and thumb-defences, some bruising, cracking and perforation, light overall patination, gilding extensively worn) PROVENANCE Warwick Castle, inv. no. A044. Arabesque ornament of the kind recorded here occurs on several south German garnitures of the third quarter of the 16th century, mainly connected with the former Imperial armoury in Vienna. Elements of these garnitures are now widely dispersed as a result of the plundering of the armoury by Napoleonic troops in 1805. They can be seen in the Hofjagd- und Rüstkammer, Vienna, Inv. Nos A925, A1118, A2259 & B126, the Musée de l'Armée, Paris, Cat. Nos G.62 and 63, the Wallace Collection, London, Cat. No. A38, the Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds, Inv. Nos II. 172 & VI. 62, the Museum Narodowe, Cracow, the Museo Stibbert, Florence, Cat. No. 147, the J. W. Higgins Armory Museum, Worcester, Massachusetts, Acc. No. 2587, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Art Institute, Chicago, and the former collections of W. R. Hearst and S. V. Grancsay. See J. F. Hayward 1953, p. 40, pl. VIII,b; J. G. Mann 1962, pp. 45-6, pls 22 & 51; A. V. B. Norman 1986, pp. 14-16. In some cases the decoration has a blackened ground, while in others, as here, it has a gilt one. The cuff of the right gauntlet in the Museo Stibbert is struck with the quality-control mark of the city of Augsburg. See L. G. Boccia & E. T. Coelho 1967, p. 83, fig.140. The breastplate of the partial armour in the Higgins Museum, on the other hand, is struck with the quality-control mark of the city of Landshut accompanied by the mark of the distinguished Landshut armourer Wolfgang Grosschedel, recorded 1517-62. See S. V. Grancsay 1961, pp. 64-5). The decoration of the gauntlets catalogued here most closely resembles that of the Landshut piece. £5000-7000 | Nil |
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|
| 265 | A FINELY CONSTRUCTED MINIATURE FIELD ARMOUR IN THE GERMAN STYLE OF CIRCA 1580, LATE 19TH CENTURY/EARLY 20TH CENTURY comprising close helmet with roped comb, visor with a pair of vision slits, bevor with three circular arrangements of breathes on the left and lower bevor retained by a press stud, gorget of a pair of articulated lames front and back, breast and backplate, the former with medial ridge and carrying a skirt of two lames, a pair of tassets each of five lames, full arm defences, fingered gauntlets, full leg defences with winged poleyns, articulated sabatons, and a single pointed besagew, the principle lames decorated with central notches, and with recessed borders and roped turns throughout: on a wooden stand, complete with a two-hand sword in contemporary style 76.2cm; 30in high Inv. no. A204. A strikingly similar miniature armour formerly in the Renwick Collection was sold Sotheby & Co., 21st May 1973, lot 32. It would appear that they are both based on an armour in the former Imperial Collection in Vienna. £8000-10000 | Nil |
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5000 |
| 266 | A 'FROG-MOUTHED' JOUSTING HELM IN 15TH CENTURY ENGLISH STYLE, 19TH CENTURY formed of a low medially-ridged crown-plate sloping forward to the upper edge of a broad V-shaped vision-slit, projecting downwards at its rear as a narrow 'tail-piece', and fitted at its apex with an oval reinforcing-plate and vertical spike for the attachment of a funerary crest, a front plate sloping forward to the inward-turned lower edge of the vision-slit, and a pair of rear plates disposed to either side of the 'tail-piece', the plates joined by round-headed rivets, the lower edge of the helm flanged outwards and pierced with pairs of stitch-holes for the attachment of a lining (extensively corroded and patched, and painted black overall) Inv. no. A063. The helmet appears to have been inspired by a distinctive group of jousting helms of the first half of the 15th century preserved as parts of funerary achievements in English churches. See J. G. Mann 1933, pp. 152-4, and T. Richardson 1996, pp. 68-72). These include an example now in the Wallace Collection, London, Cat. No. A186, well known to amateurs d'armes from the early 19th century when it formed a part of the collection of Sir Samuel Rush Meyrick of Goodrich Court, Herefordshire. The helm catalogued here is likely to have been made to the order of the celebrated 19th century arms dealer Samuel Luke Pratt of Bond Street, London who was the chief provider of both genuine and fake armour to English collectors at the time of the Gothic Revival. See G. F. Laking 1922, pp. 13-30, and Karen N. Watts. £750-1000 | Nil |
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850 |
| 267 | A SCOTTISH FLINTLOCK BELT PISTOL, CIRCA 1720 with later Continental barrel moulded at the muzzle and enclosed by a band of silver, formed with a long flat inlaid with shaped silver panels over the breech, brass lock signed 'K.McL f' and engraved with foliage and wrigglework borders (extensive restoration and repairs), brass full stock finely engraved with Celtic foliage and strapwork scrolls over the fore-end enriched with silver rosettes, engraved with the owner's initials 'J.L.C.' at the base of the fore-end opposite the lock (the stock cracked through and repaired at the lock, one small chip above the lock), engraved ram's horn butt with tightly scrolling terminals, naïvely inlaid on each side with a heart and the owner's crest and motto in silver, the spine decorated with scrolling Celtic foliage and two inlaid panels of entwined silver strapwork, long steel belt hook inlaid with a pierced engraved heart in silver (losses) and pierced with a design of foliage at the base, engraved silver pricker, later button trigger, and moulded steel ramrod 39.5cm; 15 1/2in Inv. no. F028. LITERATURE Martin Kelvin, The Scottish Pistol, Its History Manufacture and design, London 1996, p. 159. The crest and motto is that of Campbell of Cawdor. It would appear that this pistol was extensively restored in the 19th century. £2500-3500 | Nil |
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9000 |
| 268 | A NORTH EUROPEAN LONG WHEEL-LOCK HOLSTER PISTOL, CIRCA 1630, PROBABLY ALSATIAN with tapering octagonal barrel, stamped with the barrelsmith's mark (Neue Støckel 4895) strongly bevelled lock retained by three side nails, fitted with external wheel retained by a moulded ring-shaped bracket, sliding pan-cover, safety-catch, moulded dog and dog spring, figured fruitwood full stock with fishtail butt (fore-end replaced), inlaid opposite the lock and over the butt with brass scrollwork terminating in engraved mother-of-pearl and bone rosettes, all enriched with minute brass stars and framed within linear arrangements of brass wire extending over the fore-end, the butt cap bound by a plain brass band and inlaid with a symmetrical pattern en suite, brass ramrod-pipe, and brass fore-end cap (later brass-tipped wooden ramrod) 74.5cm; 29 1/4in Inv. no. F080. £5000-6000 | Nil |
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4500 |
| 269 | A PAIR OF SILVER-MOUNTED FLINTLOCK HOLSTER PISTOLS BY LEWIS (1) BARBAR, LONDON, CIRCA 1700 with swamped barrels formed in three stages, moulded fore-sights engraved with foliage around the bases, engraved with a band of beadwork at the breeches, stamped with the barrelsmith's, London view and proof marks on one side, stamped with Irish census numbers KD-2196 and KD-2197, and signed 'Barbar Londini', barrel tangs engraved with wrigglework and foliage, signed locks engraved with wrigglework around the borders, the cocks and steel engraved en suite (one mainspring missing, the other lock defective), figured walnut full stocks (the fore-ends each cracked and chipped, one stock reinforced with a steel apron), carved with raised mouldings about the barrel tangs, locks and over the fore-ends, full silver mounts comprising scrolling foliate side-plates cast and chased in low relief and enriched with silver wire scrolls and pellets, spurred pommels fitted with grotesque mask caps, moulded trigger-guards with acanthus finials, vacant foliate escutcheons, and a pair of moulded ramrod-pipes, and one pistol retaining its original horn-tipped wooden ramrod with steel worm (the other replaced) 46cm; 18 1/8in (2) Inv. nos. F014 & F015. Louis Barbar, a French protestant, was born at Essendon in Poitou and came to England circa 1688 where he was naturalised in 1700. He was made free of the Gunmaker's Company in 1704, was appointed Gentleman Armourer to King George I in 1717 and King George II in 1727. See W. Keith Neal and D. H. L. Back 1984, pp. 288-302. £3000-3500 | Nil |
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5200 |
| 270 | A PAIR OF FLINTLOCK HOLSTER PISTOLS BY I.COSENS, CIRCA 1690 with tapering barrels formed in three stages (shortened in their working life), engraved with a bird-of-prey on the barrel tangs (rubbed), signed rounded locks engraved with scrolling foliage including and issuant monsterhead on the tails (one lock defective and missing its steel), figured ash full stocks (the tip of one fore-end cracked and chipped, the other fore-end replaced), carved with raised moulding about the tang and mounts, moulded brass mounts comprising pierced scrolling side-plates formed as issuant scaly monsters, lightly engraved trigger-guards with moulded baluster terminals, engraved spurred pommels (one with a small dent), and a pair of moulded ramrod-pipes (one ramrod-pipe missing, the mounts rubbed), steel trigger-plates engraved with foliage, and drop-shaped steel escutcheons each engraved 'No 9' (ramrods missing) 43.5cm; 17 1/8in (2) Inv. nos. F002 & F003. John Cosens was made free of the Gunmaker's Company in 1662. He is said to have learnt 'ye arte in ye Citty of Winchester' and later took over Harman Barne's Shop from his widow, Ursula. He became Gunmaker-in-Ordinary to Charles II and supplied pistols and one gun 'stocked with asshe' for £8 as part of the King's presents for the Emperor of Morocco in 1680. £2000-2500 | Nil |
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2800 |
