Antique Polish Cavalry Officer Sword Napoleonic Duchy Of Warsaw Poland 19th c
SOLD Rare antique, early 19th century, Napoleonic Period, Grand Duchy of Warsaw (1807-1815 A.D.) Polish cavalry officer sword (saber) attributed to Egidiusz Collette Warsaw workshop.
DETAILS: Anelaborate massive, brass hilt comprising a slotted knuckle bow and a pierced cross guard with two scrolling side bars incorporating a round medallion finely cast and chiseled in low relief with a unique Polish trophy of arms (panoply of arms), including a distinguished Polish Karabela sword also a Polish war hammer “Obuszek” with a characteristic downcurved, beak-shaped fluke, mounted in neoclassic manner in the Ancient Roman fasces, banners, and the Polish Karacena armour in a classical ancient style, flanked by military drums all enclosed by a laurel wreath. Retaining its original leather ribbed wooden grip bound with 2 rows of twisted copper wires and roofed by the back-strap rising up to the lion head pommel.
Mounted with massive slightly curved single edged blade, cut on each face with a broad full-length fuller.
In its original solid brass scabbard chiseled with scrolling foliage and mounted with two suspension bands each adorned with raised continuous tied, oak leaves sprays and affix with the loops.
This sword is very similar in form to the sword of the colonel Norbert Obuch-Woszczatynski commander of the 8th Uhlan Regiment of the Polish Army of the Grand Duchy of Warsaw which is in a collection of the Museum of the Polish Army (Muzeum Wojska Polskiego) in Warsaw. The sword hilt and scabbard are custom designed & made specially for the colonel Norbert Obuch-Woszczatynski by Egidiusz Collette.
Egidiusz Collette was an excellent swordsmith and gunsmith operating in Warsaw from the end of the 18th century to the early 19th century making custom made luxury swords in his Warsaw workshop for high ranked Polish Officers.
There is also in the collection of the Museum of the Polish Army (Muzeum Wojska Polskiego) in Warsaw two other Polish swords with the hilts adorned with this unique type of the Polish trophy of arms and the lion head pommel .These twoswords were specially designed and made for the Polish dragoons in the late 18th century during the reign of the last king of Poland and the Grand Duke of Lithuania Stanisław August Poniatowski reigned (1764–95)
CONDITION: Showing the age and usage, blade bend (please see the photo), brass guard slightly compressed, with crack on the join of the side bar and the cross guard, blade bend with nicks. All of this is an aspect from a used antique combat sword considering its age to be over 200 years old.
Please see the pictures in the listing since they are part of the description of the condition of the object.
REFERENCES:
1.Szable sławnych Polakow by Kwasniewicz. Page 49-50. Sword of the colonel Norbert Obuch-Woszczatynski with mounting designed and made by Egidiusz Collette with the Damascus steel blade made by the French manufacture de Clingenthal.
2.Historia broni siecznej. Miecze, szable, rapiery i pałasze. Tom I By Tadeusz Krolikiewicz Page 150 Polish Dragoon Sword late 18th century with similar hit and blade but engraved with the Royal cipher "SAR" under a crown. Museum Inventory No: MWP II07/I-2.
3.Katalog zbiorow wiek XVIII. Muzeum Wojska Polskiego w Warszawie Page 20, Tablica II A: another late 18th Polish Dragoon sword with exactly the same hilt as the first one but with different type of the blade which is with cut slender fuller near the spine but also is engraved with the Royal cipher "SAR" under a crown. Museum Inventory No: 1107 MWP.
Please see the pictures attached to the listing.
The buyer will be provided with a copy of the pages from the mentioned references, together with a certificate authenticity.
MEASUREMENTS:
The overall length in the scabbard is: 94.6 cm (37.24 inches)
Overall length without the scabbard: 89.5 cm (35.24 inches)
Length of the blade: 74 .2 cm (29.21 inches)
Width of the blade at the widest point: 3.5 cm (1.38 inches)
Weight: 1.984 kg (4lb 5.98 oz)