59 - Bone-grip hunting knife and staghorn hunting hanger, etched, probably 2nd half of the 19th century

Bone-grip hunting knife and staghorn hunting hanger, etched, probably 2nd half of the 19th century Two hunting knives in the form of hunting hangers, condition commensurate with age. 1) Hunting knife with bone grip with three hemispherical decorative rivets, hilt probably of white metal with small shell-shaped shell guard and short straight crossguard, the crossguard broken off on one side, the hilt bent; straight back-edged blade with fuller and rounded point, corroded overall, grip loose, end of grip chipped, without scabbard, L. 58 cm, blade length 46 cm. 2) Hunting hanger, probably Kirschbaum, Solingen, with staghorn grip, brass-coloured, shell-shaped shell guard and below it a crossguard with two arms curved in opposing S-shapes in the form of deer's legs; at the blade root, concealed by the shell guard, the punched mark knight's head with helmet in profile; the straight back-edged blade etched on both sides, on one side with a hunter with dog under a tree, on the other with a rooting wild boar. Black leather scabbard with brass-coloured locket and pocket, the small by-knife missing. Blade stained, etching rubbed in places, L. 50 cm, blade length 34 cm. In the 19th century the hunting hanger was part of the huntsman's equipment and was worn with hunting dress both for dispatching game and as a mark of status. The pocket on the scabbard held a small by-knife for gutting the game. The knight's head with helmet was the blade mark of the Solingen blade forge Kirschbaum in the 19th century; the successor firm W. R. Kirschbaum & Cie. later added the letters “K.&C.”. After the merger with the firm Gebr. Weyersberg in 1883, Weyersberg, Kirschbaum & Cie. (WKC) continued to use the knight's head together with the crowned king's head as a double mark.