View Single Post
Old 1st November 2012, 04:52 PM   #1
mrwizard
Member
 
mrwizard's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Dortmund, Germany
Posts: 102
Default A hirschfanger named Marie

Hello Everyone,

here is a piece i would like to hear your opinions about.

The well balanced sword is 59cm long with a staghorn hilt and a rather massive cross-guard. But the interesting part is the blade that shows markings from three different eras.

The oldest markings are engraved on the sides of the ricasso: "F. Herzog" and "zu Braunschweig" (engl. "F. Duke of Brunswick").
Could this be Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel (1721- 1792)? I don't think the blade is earlier than 18th century and this one is the only one with a single "F." in his name.

Then there are etchings on the broad sides of the blade that show the crest and the monogram of William, Duke of Brunswick (1830-1884).
The IMHO latest marking is located on the broad side of the ricasso and reads "Marie". The style of the letters indicate a late 19th-early 20th century origin.

I think the blade has been reworked at least once during its life. I remember having seen this kind of blade before but cannot remember on what kind of sword.

Oh, and before someone asks: the two mottos on the crest are
"Nec aspera terrent" and "Honi soit qui mal y pense"

Best Regards,
Thilo
Attached Images
    

Last edited by mrwizard; 1st November 2012 at 05:08 PM.
mrwizard is offline   Reply With Quote