P E T E R
F I N E R
FINE ANTIQUE AR MS, AR MOUR & REL ATED OBJECTS
CH R IST M A S C ATA L OGU E 2023
CONTENTS
1 A Blue-laced Sixty-Two-Plate Suji-Bachi Kabuto
8 A pair of Tibetan Stirrups, or Yob 16th – 18 th century
Edō period, 17th – 19 th century
2 A Group of Japanese Arrowheads or Yanone Edō period, 18 th – 19 th century
3 A Japanese Gunbai, or Signal Fan
9 A Hunting-Sword with Agate Grip c. 1612 – 19
10 A Japanese Military Hat or Jingasa
Edō period, 19 th century
late Edō period, 19 th century
4 A Pair of Rowel-Spurs
11 A Chest Lock Decorated With Designs for ‘Grotesques’ After the Ornemaniste Jean Berain
c. 1675
late 17th century
5 An Anamorphic Candlestick c. 19 th century
6 An Ottoman Dagger, or Hançer late 17 century th
12 A Pair of Rowel Spurs c. 1630
13 A German Gilt-Iron Left-Hand Dagger c. 1610 – 20
7 A Dagger Hilt 19 century th
14 A Collection of Japanese Tsuba 18 th – 19 th century
15 A Neolithic Period Axe
22 A Dagger, katar
c. 4000 – 2500 BC
late 17th century
16 A Cased Pair of Pocket Pistols by Staudenmayer c. 1820
23 A Medieval Gilt-Bronze Saddlery Pendant c. 1250 – 1350
17 A Rare Tibetan Cymbal Case Probably 19 century th
24 A Medieval Equestrian Harness Pendant 14th century
18 A Fine Spanish GoldDamascened Letter Opener from the Workshop of Placido Zuloaga
25 A Harness Pendant 12th – 14th century
late 19 th century
19 A Pair of Flintlock Turn-off Pocket Pistols by T. Archer, Birmingham
26 A Harness Pendant 13th – 15th century
c. 1800
20 A Pair of Scottish Flintlock Belt Pistols with Brass Lobe-butted Stocks, by Thomas Murdoch c. 1775 – 90
21 A Dagger (Tanto) Edō period, c. 1750
27 A Persian Iron Priming Flask or Barutdan, Damascened in Gold dated 1159 AH (1746 A.D.)
1
A Blue-laced Sixty-Two-Plate Suji-Bachi Kabuto Edō period, 17th – 19th century The kabuto first quarter of the 17th century The madate later, circa 1800. Unsigned Japan. Iron, copper, gold, silk, leather, wood, lacquer 36 cm / 14 in (height) × 39 cm / 15.35 in (diameter) PROVENANCE Private collection, Japan £ 35,000
A
Japanese 62-plate suji-bachi kabuto of tenkokuzan shape applied with decorative fukurin and higaki. It is mounted with a five lame shikoro (neck guard) of kiritsuke-kozane (simulated scales) and laced in dark blue silk. The interior retains its original silk ukebari (liner) and silk shinobi-no-o (helmet cord). The front of the helmet is mounted with a carved and gilded maedate (fore crest) in the form of a shikami, a mischievous imp from Japanese mythology. Kabuto constructed from 62 plates such as this represent the epitome of armour production during the Sengoku period (Warring states). During this period spanning the late 15th to the early 17th century civil war raged throughout
Japan as powerful Daimyo fought for dominance. This helmet dates from the end of this period and although unsigned it was most likely made by a very skilled Haruta school smith. The multi-coloured lace connecting the plates is called mimi-ito, below this is a decorative row of knots called Hishi-nui. This final row is in murasaki, a purple colour that was very expensive to produce and therefore a sign of high status. The front of the Shikoro is mounted with a pair of winglets called fukigaeshi, these hold heraldic emblems called Kamon. These are Hishi-gata (diamond shaped) within a circular reserve, a Kamon used by both the powerful Goto and Ishikawa samurai families among others.
2
A Group of Japanese Arrowheads or Yanone Edō period, 18th – 19th century Japan. Steel 21.5 cm / 8.5 in (tallest) PROVENANCE Private collection, Japan Private collection, France £ 9,500
J
apanese arrows were fitted with heads of varying shape according to their intended use in war, the hunt, or target practice. Arrowheads made for use on the battlefield incorporated different designs intended for specialized purposes such as the piercing of armor or to cause maximum damage to horses and unarmored personnel. Large arrowheads, pierced and elaborately chiseled with landscapes, birds, flowers, dragons, and Buddhist divinities, were created to be admired for the beauty of their metalwork and design rather than for use in archery. Such highly elaborate examples may have been made for presentation or as a votive offerings to a shrine.
3
A Japanese Gunbai, or Signal Fan Edō period, 19th century Japan. Wood, lacquer, silver and silk 49 cm / 19.25 in × 27.5 cm / 11 in PROVENANCE Private collection, Japan £ 9,600
G
unbai, from the Sino-Japanese roots meaning “military-apportioned [fan]”, were a specialized form of fan used by samurai officers in Japan to communicate commands to their troops. Unlike regular fans, gunbai were not folding, and were usually made of wood or solid metal.
Reverse of fan
4
A Pair of Rowel-Spurs c. 1675 Germany. Iron, silver PROVENANCE Private collection, Belgium £ 7,500
T
he relatively compact star-shaped rowel and the rowel-box with its supporting neck set at opposing acute angles are each developmental characteristics of spurs produced throughout northern Europe during the second quarter of the 17th century.
The present pair of spurs are decorated to striking effect over their full outer surfaces, the rowels included, with an extremely closeset diagonal pattern of fine lines arranged as bands segmented by beaded lines. The pattern is framed on the arms of the heel-band by the flourish of an acanthus leaf, at the junction with the rowel neck and again behind the forward loop terminals.
This bold style of silver-damascening is typically German and Netherlandish, produced from about 1600 onward in workshops primarily concerned with damascening the hilts of rapiers, hunting-swords, daggers and their matching belt and saddlery mounts. That pairs of spurs should be matched with these prestigious hilts was the natural development of male fashion as a display of rank and wealth. The fashion for wearing spurs such as those discussed here is evidenced in the formal portraiture of the period, even when removed from any equestrian context. Spanning the approximate period 1620-60 spurs had taken on the additional role of male jewellery, worn to project the wearer’s high social standing, over time being taken up more widely by those for whom rank was an aspiration.
5
An Anamorphic Candlestick c. 19th century India. Brass 22 cm / 8.5 in × 8 cm / 3 in PROVENANCE Private collection, United Kingdom £ 12,000
6
An Ottoman Dagger, or Hançer late 17th century Turkey. Steel, wood, leather, silver, niello 29 cm / 11.5 in × 4.5 cm / 1.75 in PROVENANCE Private collection, United Kingdom £ 28,000
O
ne of an important series of daggers captured after the unsuccessful Turkish siege of Vienna in 1683, this example has a slightly curved, double edged plain blade. The hilt is of a waisted form, made from a single piece of faceted wood. The scabbard is of wood covered with black leather, with chape and locket of silver decorated with simple foliate scrollwork in niello, with a small suspension loop at the front.
7
A Dagger Hilt 19th century India. Silver, gold, ruby and emerald 12.5 cm / 5 in × 6.5 cm / 2.5 in PROVENANCE Private collection, United Kingdom £ 6,500
8
A pair of Tibetan Stirrups, or Yob 16th – 18th century Tibet. Iron 15 cm / 6 in × 12 cm / 4.75 in (diameter) PROVENANCE Private collection, Belgium £ 7,500
9
A Hunting-Sword with Agate Grip c. 1612 – 19 Silver Maker’s Mark IR England, London Steel, silver, copper, agate, wood and fishskin 46.5 cm / 18.25 in × 10 cm / 4 in (sword) 21 cm / 8.25 in × 3 cm / 1 in (byknife) PROVENANCE Private collection, England £ 18,000
W
hen viewed in section from above apex of the grip, the exquisite natural pattern of close-set banding reveals the gem-like quality of the agate, the spectrum of its colours heightened by its fine bevelled and faceted cut. Similarly, the perfect banded pattern of colours runs vertically over the length of the rearward surface. Over its top, simple small silver tang button sits with ease on a silver calyx washer. A silver basal collar and crosspiece complete the hilt construction, the latter cast with a fluted moulding at its centre and the quillon terminals formed as recurved discs each filled with a galloping horseman in low relief. The sword is complete in its original fishskincovered scabbard, with its companion byknife. The byknife has a silver-mounted agate handle, the blade is struck with the dagger mark of the London Cutlers’ Company together with a cutler’s mark, A crowned; the latter is most likely the mark of Joseph Arnold, who registered his mark 14th October 1703.
10
A Japanese Military Hat or Jingasa late Edō period, 19th century Japan. Wood, lacquer, gold, silk 42 cm / 16.5 in (diameter) PROVENANCE Private collection, United Kingdom £ 5,000
T
he jingasa, or ‘camp hat,’ was a type worn by Japanese warriors when traveling or encamped.
11
A Chest Lock Decorated With Designs for ‘Grotesques’ After the Ornemaniste Jean Berain late 17th century France. Steel 16.5 cm / 6.5 in × 8 cm / 3 in PROVENANCE Private collection, USA £ 16,000
A
similar lock dated 1685 is in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; another, similar also, is in the Musée Le Secq des Tournelles, Rouen. With the mechanism built on a system of three shooting bolts, the reverse side is decorated with an applied neo-classical female deity mask chiselled in relief between scrollwork terminals projecting above and below. The obverse with arrow-shaped key hole and arrowhead pipe, the upper surface of the mechanism body and the pierced facing plate decorated with differing ‘grotesques’ inspired by the original published Paris designs of Jean Berain (1639-1711), involving engraved symmetrical arrangements of baroque flowers and scrolls inhabited by dogs and masks, with festoons and fruit clusters suspended from baldacchinos, and the additional facing plate pierced with a further scrollwork design involving a half-figure, hares and fantastic birds.
12
A Pair of Rowel Spurs c. 1630 England. Iron and silver 16.5 cm / 6.5 in × 20 cm / 8 in on mount PROVENANCE Private collection, USA £ 6,000
B
y the beginning of the 17th century the shape of spurs began to change from those often with straight necks to ones in which the neck arched up and then down, although the rowel was still held comfortably away from the wearer’s heel. Riding was an essential everyday activity for many and ordinary working spurs were commonplace, yet they also offered opportunities for the display of wealth, fashion or taste; as in past centuries, spurs were often made in complex forms and given a variety decoration. This fine pair of spurs represents the epitome of style and quality for an English gentleman in the 1630s. Such spurs would have been worn over riding boots.
13
A German Gilt-Iron Left-Hand Dagger c. 1610 – 20 Germany. Iron, gold, wood 35.5 cm / 14 in × 7 cm / 2.75 in PROVENANCE Private collection, Europe £ 12,000
T
he evidence of contemporary German and Dutch portraiture shows daggers of this type, together with their matching rapiers, carried as an essential part of the early 17th century costume of men of rank and privilege. The term left-hand dagger is used to differentiate the type of dagger used tactically in the left hand, in conjunction with a rapier held in the right, and most frequently for parrying the blade of the opponent’s rapier or for delivering a close-quarters thrust. With iron hilt retaining some of its original gilding, formed of a pair of quillons progressively flattened in section towards the tips, a matching small ring-guard between, and stopper-shaped pommel rising to a prominent button over the blade tang. Fitted with moulded wooden grip bound with patterned copper wire and “Turks’ heads”. The blade of flattened diamond section tapering to a narrow point, and formed with a rectangular ricasso recessed centrally on both sides.
14
A Collection of Japanese Tsuba 18th – 19th century Japan. Steel, gold, silver, copper-alloy 7 cm / 2.75 in (each) PROVENANCE Private collection, USA £ 12,000
15
A Neolithic Period Axe c. 4000 – 2500 BC Scandanavia. Flint 28.5 cm / 11.25 in × 6.5 cm / 2.5 in PROVENANCE Private collection, Denmark £ 7,200
16
A Cased Pair of Pocket Pistols by Staudenmayer c. 1820 Unidentified proof marks, crowned ‘EP ’ in an oval, possibly of Edward Payton London. Steel, wood, silver, flint, velvet, paper Box: 20 cm / 8 in × 16.5 cm / 6.5 in Each pistol: 13 cm / 5 in PROVENANCE Private collection, United Kingdom £ 12,000
17
A Rare Tibetan Cymbal Case Probably 19th century Tibet. Wood, shagreen, textile, brass, copper. 30.2 cm / 11.9 in (diameter) PROVENANCE Private collection, Spain £ 7,500
18
A Fine Spanish Gold-Damascened Letter Opener from the Workshop of Placido Zuloaga late 19th century Spain. Steel, gold and silver. 26.2 cm / 10.3 in PROVENANCE Private collection, Belgium £ 8,500
P
lacido Zuloaga (1834-1910) was the leading maker of damascened wares in Spain in the 19th century. Born to Eusebio Zuloaga, the royal armourer to Queen Isabella II, Placido took over management of his father’s factory in 1859 and increasingly turned its production toward that of fine damascened art objects. His work earned royal and aristocratic patronage and would go on to win an impressive 36 gold medals at various international competitions and exhibitions throughout the second half of the 19th century. Dagger form, the opener with double-edged blade issuing from a hilt form handle terminating in a bulbous pommel, all damascened to show arabesques and rosettes, the sheath similarly decorated and damascened with a ‘PZ’ monogram to one side.
19
A Pair of Flintlock Turn-off Pocket Pistols by T. Archer, Birmingham c. 1800 England, Birmingham Steel, silver, paktong alloy and walnut Stamped with Birmingham proof marks Each pistol: 17.5 cm / 6.9 in PROVENANCE Private collection, USA £ 4,800
20
A Pair of Scottish Flintlock Belt Pistols with Brass Lobe-butted Stocks, by Thomas Murdoch c. 1775 – 90 Scotland, Leith and Edinburgh. Brass and steel Each pistol: 24.5 cm / 9.6 in PROVENANCE Private collection, Scandinavia £ 22,000
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earing the owner’s motto ‘SPERO DUM SPIRO’ which translates as ‘I hope while I breath’.
21
A Dagger (Tanto) Edō period, c. 1750 Japan. Steel, gold, silver, wood, lacquer Overall length: 41 cm / 16.1 in Blade: 21 cm / 8.25 in PROVENANCE Private collection, USA £ 9,000
22
A Dagger, katar late 17th century India, possibly Deccan, Bijapur 33.7 cm / 13.3 in PROVENANCE Private collection, Germany £ 9,500
T
he katar, sometimes called a jamdhar, was a form of dagger unique to the Indian subcontinent, and held, like the gauntlet sword or pata which has the same origin, by a transverse grip. These weapons were originally used in the south of India, where their early forms are preserved in the now-dispersed armoury of Thanjavur, but became exceedingly popular during the Mughal period where their use spread throughout the sub-continent. The blade, forged in one with the hilt, is straight, double edged with a medial ridge with recessed panels of watered crucible steel at either side and a thickened, armour-piercing point. It is stipple-engraved with arsenal numbers 3 and 25 in Hindi numerals. The hilt has two short side bars joined by two transverse bars forming the grip, faceted and swelling to the centre. the whole is covered with flowers and fruit in gold koftgari joined by scrolling foliage in silver koftgari. The style of the arsenal marking indicates that it was preserved at Bikener in Rajasthan. Though
much Rajput arms and armour was preserved there, the fort is famous for its early Deecani material, brought back by Maharaja Anup Singh (r. 1669–98) after his capture of Adoni in the Deccan in 1689, in the service of the Mughal Emperor Auragzeb. The broad form of this blade with a medial ridge running upo to the hilt is a distinct northern style, but the curved base of the blade is a form associated with the Deccan, see Nordlunge collection nos 121–2, the child’s katar no 56 whose hilt decoration is close to this one, and 171 148 (2016, 131–2, 143–4, 137–8, 161–2, 163–4), and two Deccani katars in the armoury of the Rathores at Jodhpur (Elgood 2017, 666–9). However there are similar katars ascribed to Mughal workshops, such as Nordlunde collection no. 148 (2016, 163–4), Metropolitan Museum of Art no 36.25.1071.
REFERENCES R. Elgood, Rajput Arms and Armoour, the Rathores and their armoury at Jodhpur Fort, New Delhi, 2017 J. Nordlunde, A Passion for Indian Arms, Copenhagen, 2016
23
A Medieval Gilt-Bronze Saddlery Pendant c. 1250 – 1350 England. Bronze, gold. 12.4 cm / 4.8 in PROVENANCE Private collection, France £ 8,500
T
wo pendants closely related to the present example are in the Musée de Cluny, Paris;
24
A Medieval Equestrian Harness Pendant 14th century England or France. Copper alloy, gold 4 cm / 1.57 in PROVENANCE Private collection, United Kingdom £ 4,000
R
ectangular with a standing loop for suspension, the outer face incised and gilt with a left-facing walking horse motif. Behind the horse is a leafy tree incised and gilt also, and each set against a profusely punched and gilt contrasting ground. The added pastoral aspect of the design suggests that the horse emblem is in this instance a personal badge rather than an heraldic device, this in turn indicative of the pendant belonging to the horse harness of a notable of wealth and rank, rather than to that
of a knight. Medieval tales of the ancients were central to a nobleman’s education and accounts of the of the courage and steadfast loyalty of Alexander the Great’s mount Bucephalus, and of Caius Caesar’s devoted and fearsome war horse each ensured the well-bred horse a place of high esteem. From this platform the natural link between equine culture and the European chivalric code gathered pace throughout the medieval period.
25
A Harness Pendant 12th – 14th century England. Copper alloy and enamel 4.2 cm / 1.6 in × 3.4 cm / 1.3 in PROVENANCE Private collection, United Kingdom £ 4,500
26
A Harness Pendant 13th – 15th century Probably England. Copper alloy, gold and enamel 9 cm / 3.5 in × 7.6 cm / 3 in PROVENANCE Gustave Dreyfus (1837-1914) His son Carl Dreyfus Seymour de Ricci (1881-1942) His descendants £ 5,500
I
n medieval Christianity the pelican was believed so self-sacrificing as to wound her own breast to feed the blood to her young when no other food was available to them. Mirroring the Eucharist, this came to represent the Passion of Christ in Christian Europe. In England, Elizabeth I cleverly adopted the device of the Pelican, portraying herself as the ‘Mother of the Church of England’.
27
A Persian Iron Priming Flask or Barutdan, Damascened in Gold dated 1159 AH (1746 A.D.) Persia. Iron and gold. 10.5 cm / 4.1 in x 14.7 cm / 5.8 in PROVENANCE Private collection, France £ 6,200
O
n either side of the band are Arabic inscriptions; one side features intricate calligraphy in Thuluth, and the other Nasta’liq, which states: Hu ‘Ali ya ‘Ali (He ‘Ali, oh ‘Ali).
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