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Lot Essay
This sword has a fascinating provenance. The coat of arms belongs to the family of Zichy de Vasonyke, a noble Magyar family, conspicuous in Hungarian history from the latter part of the 13th century onwards.
There have been links between the countries of Austria, Hungary and Turkey since the time of Sulayman the Magnificent. In the nineteenth century this family continued the tradition. From 1879 to 1880 Count Ferenc Zichy (1811-1900) was Austrian ambassador at Constantinople and Count Zichy (1811-1894), who had great interest in art and industry, founded the Oriental Museum in Vienna.
This family is known to have been very interested in art and politics, with some members founders and leaders of political parties,and some well-recognized artists such as Count Mihaly Zichy (1827-1906), who was a court painter at St Petersbourg in 1847. One of his most important paintings and drawings is in the National Gallery at Budapest, other are in the Ermitage Museum in St. Petersburg and the Tertiakoff Gallery in Moscow.
There have been links between the countries of Austria, Hungary and Turkey since the time of Sulayman the Magnificent. In the nineteenth century this family continued the tradition. From 1879 to 1880 Count Ferenc Zichy (1811-1900) was Austrian ambassador at Constantinople and Count Zichy (1811-1894), who had great interest in art and industry, founded the Oriental Museum in Vienna.
This family is known to have been very interested in art and politics, with some members founders and leaders of political parties,and some well-recognized artists such as Count Mihaly Zichy (1827-1906), who was a court painter at St Petersbourg in 1847. One of his most important paintings and drawings is in the National Gallery at Budapest, other are in the Ermitage Museum in St. Petersburg and the Tertiakoff Gallery in Moscow.