ATTRIBUTED TO HANS SUMERSPERGER (ACTIVE LATE 15TH CENTURY), LATE 15TH CENTURY

Details

A BRONZE, MOTHER-OF-PEARL AND STEEL PRESENTOIR
ATTRIBUTED TO HANS SUMERSPERGER (ACTIVE LATE 15TH CENTURY), LATE 15TH CENTURY

The mother-of-pearl carved with reliefs of St. Sebastian and two female saints; the handle also inlaid with bone and horn strips.
One mother-of-pearl relief possibly lacking.
18 in. (45.7 cm.) high

Literature

COMPARATIVE LITERATURE:
B. Thomas, The Hunting Knives of Emperor Maximilian I, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, XIII, 6, February 1955, pp. 201-8.

Lot Essay

This knife is almost identical to two further examples in the Metropolitan Museum in New York. These were attributed to Hans Sumersperger, royal knifesmith to Maximilian I, by Bruno Thomas (loc. cit.) on the basis of their similarity to a signed ceremonial sword in the Weltliche Schatzkammer in Vienna. Other related pieces are in the Museum für Kunsthandwerk in Frankfurt, and the Benediktinerstift in Kremsmünster.

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