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A GILT METAL ‘PAULOWNIA’ SMALL-SWORD FOR THE WESTERN MARKET A GILT METAL ‘PAULOWNIA’ SMALL-SWORD FOR THE WESTERN MARKET Japanese for the European market, 19th century The blade etched with paulownia tendrils on both sides, the elaborate gilt metal hilt features a reticulated downward guard plate, a phoenix-shaped guard on one side, and a handle on the other. The finial is of a flattened, globular form, and the grip is lined with metal threads. The scabbard is lined in leather and adorned with gilded fittings. All the gilt metal elements cast or incised with paulownia and foliage designs. A gold thread pommel is attached to the handle. LENGTH 75.8 cm WEIGHT 592 g (in total) Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, some rust to the blade, light scratches, and few nicks. By the early seventeenth century, the rapier, a long slender thrusting sword, began to dominate as the gentleman’s weapon of choice. During the course of the century, however, as civilian fencing techniques became more specialized and refined, the rapier developed into a lighter, trimmed-down weapon known by about 1700 as the smallsword. Smallswords, often richly decorated, remained an integral part of a gentleman’s wardrobe until the wearing of swords in civilian settings went out of fashion at the end of the eighteenth century, at which time pistols were replacing swords as arms most frequently used in personal duels. The majority of smallsword hilts are made of silver or steel, but many also employ a wide variety of luxurious materials, such as gold, porcelain, and enamel. At their best, smallswords combine the crafts of swordsmith, cutler, and jeweler to create an elegant weapon that was also a wearable work of art.

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A GILT METAL ‘PAULOWNIA’ SMALL-SWORD FOR THE WESTERN MARKET A GILT METAL ‘PAULOWNIA’ SMALL-SWORD FOR THE WESTERN MARKET Japanese for the European market, 19th century The blade etched with paulownia tendrils on both sides, the elaborate gilt metal hilt features a reticulated downward guard plate, a phoenix-shaped guard on one side, and a handle on the other. The finial is of a flattened, globular form, and the grip is lined with metal threads. The scabbard is lined in leather and adorned with gilded fittings. All the gilt metal elements cast or incised with paulownia and foliage designs. A gold thread pommel is attached to the handle. LENGTH 75.8 cm WEIGHT 592 g (in total) Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, some rust to the blade, light scratches, and few nicks. By the early seventeenth century, the rapier, a long slender thrusting sword, began to dominate as the gentleman’s weapon of choice. During the course of the century, however, as civilian fencing techniques became more specialized and refined, the rapier developed into a lighter, trimmed-down weapon known by about 1700 as the smallsword. Smallswords, often richly decorated, remained an integral part of a gentleman’s wardrobe until the wearing of swords in civilian settings went out of fashion at the end of the eighteenth century, at which time pistols were replacing swords as arms most frequently used in personal duels. The majority of smallsword hilts are made of silver or steel, but many also employ a wide variety of luxurious materials, such as gold, porcelain, and enamel. At their best, smallswords combine the crafts of swordsmith, cutler, and jeweler to create an elegant weapon that was also a wearable work of art.

Estimate 600 - 1 200 EUR
Starting price 600 EUR

* Not including buyer’s premium.
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For sale on Tuesday 03 Sep : 11:00 (CEST)
vienna, Austria
Galerie Zacke
+4315320452
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A CELADON JADE SWORD GUARD, WESTERN HAN DYNASTY A CELADON JADE SWORD GUARD, WESTERN HAN DYNASTY Jade. China, Western Han dynasty, 2 nd century BC to 1 st century AD Of lozenge shape, the front finely carved in high relief with a lively chilong and the reverse in low relief with an angular scroll design centered by a median ridge. The translucent stone of a celadon tone with white clouds and darker inclusions, further with natural fissures and a small chip to one corner. Museum comparison: Compare two Western Han white jade sword guards carved with a chilong in high relief on one side and a taotie mask in low relief on the reverse, from Xiashan, Yongcheng, Henan province and now in the Henan Provincial Museum, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Jades Unearthed in China, vol. 5, Henan, Beijing, 2005, nos. 219 and 220. Compare a related jade sword fitting carved with a chilong in high relief, also dated to the Western Han period, in the collection of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, object number B60J799. Compare a related jade sword guard, also dated to the Western Han period, in the collection of the Freer Gallery of Art in the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, accession number F1939.28. Auction comparison: Compare a related jade sword guard similarly carved with a chilong in high relief, also dated to the Western Han dynasty, 5.7 cm long, at Christie’s New York in Important Chinese Art from the Junkunc Collection on 18 March 2021, lot 609 ( sold for USD 37,500). Compare a related jade sword guard, similarly carved with an angular scroll design, dated Warring States period to early Western Han dynasty, 5.1 cm long, at Christie’s New York in Dongxi Studio - Important Chinese Jade and Hardstone Carvings from a Distinguished Private Collection on 17 March 2016, lot 921 ( sold for USD 16,250). WIDTH 6.6 cm Provenance: From a private family collection in Milan, Italy. Private collection of Professor Filippo Salviati, acquired from the above through the Italian trade.