LATE 17TH CENTURY
Details
A German (Saxon) Hunting Trousse (Waidpraxe)
Late 17th Century
With heavy cleaver-like single-edged blade etched on one face with the arms of Saxony, and struck on the other with the mark of an eagle's head (?) in a shield, hilt comprising iron guard with single ribbed and fluted forward quillon of zoomorphic shape with small side-ring, and beaked handle formed from the tang and two natural staghorn grip-scales held by rivets with, on one side, domed silver heads engraved with the Saxon arms (three rivets with other side missing), and original leather iron-rimmed scabbard with simulated iron chape and locket, embossed respectively on the outer faces with a hound attacking a stag, and a horseman with a boar-spear below an oval shield of the arms of Saxony between the pierced initials 'IGHZS GCVBC', subsidiary side-scabbard for extra pieces of which a fork survives, with two sharply pointed tines and handle with chiselled iron lion's head pommel and staghorn grip-scales
20in. (52cm.)
The initials stand for 'Johann Georg Herzog zu Sachsen Glich (Jlich) Cleve und Berg Churfrst', and the trousse presumably belongs to one of a series made for the hunt-servants of the Elector Johann Georg II of Saxony (reigned 1656-1680). Others are still in the Historisches Museum, Dresden, some dated 1662. See The Kretzchmar von Kienbusch Collection of Armor and Arms, p. 200
Late 17th Century
With heavy cleaver-like single-edged blade etched on one face with the arms of Saxony, and struck on the other with the mark of an eagle's head (?) in a shield, hilt comprising iron guard with single ribbed and fluted forward quillon of zoomorphic shape with small side-ring, and beaked handle formed from the tang and two natural staghorn grip-scales held by rivets with, on one side, domed silver heads engraved with the Saxon arms (three rivets with other side missing), and original leather iron-rimmed scabbard with simulated iron chape and locket, embossed respectively on the outer faces with a hound attacking a stag, and a horseman with a boar-spear below an oval shield of the arms of Saxony between the pierced initials 'IGHZS GCVBC', subsidiary side-scabbard for extra pieces of which a fork survives, with two sharply pointed tines and handle with chiselled iron lion's head pommel and staghorn grip-scales
20in. (52cm.)
The initials stand for 'Johann Georg Herzog zu Sachsen Glich (Jlich) Cleve und Berg Churfrst', and the trousse presumably belongs to one of a series made for the hunt-servants of the Elector Johann Georg II of Saxony (reigned 1656-1680). Others are still in the Historisches Museum, Dresden, some dated 1662. See The Kretzchmar von Kienbusch Collection of Armor and Arms, p. 200