Hunting Swords
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Hunting, which formed no
small part of the social
life of the seventeenth
and eighteenth centuries,
developed épées de
chasse, couteaux,
and coutelas, which were
in keeping with the rich
hunting costume and with
the dress sword. They
were short, carried from
a hunting belt, and while
they were often provided
with guard, quillons,
and knuckle guard, they
never had the pas d'âne,
since this was a structure
belonging only to fencing
(see fig. 7, which indicates
types A and B). In a word,
they represent decadent
swords, small enough to
be conveniently carried
in the forest, to be used
on very rare occasions
to defend the wearer (very
ineffectively) from enraged
boar or stag, daintily
to bleed the game, but
never to function in butchery.
The art of chopping up
the animal - maitrise
de veneur of the preceding
century, of the days of
Maximilian, Charles V,
Henry VIII, Francis I
- now belonged only to
the court butcher and
his attendants. Hunting
knives (1) stand therefore
on another line of descent;
they developed from knives,
becoming heavier, broader,
more specialized. Hunting
swords, on the other hand,
are degenerate court swords,
which by loss of structures
attain nearly the condition
of glorified knives. Hence
it follows that the older
hunting swords resemble
more closely the short-sword
of the period; while the
later hunting swords are
knife-like. But even here,
where the blade becomes
single-edged, it is still
slender, pointed at tip,
and its hilt ever bears
the quillons of a sword;
its scabbard as well is
that of a sword with similar
mounts. In style and ornament
it still retains close
kinship with the court
sword - which was apt
to replace it so soon
as the owner changed his
costume.
(1) Bashford Dean. The
Metropolitan Museum 0f
Art. Catalogue 0f European
Daggers. New York,
1929, p. 183 and fig.
1.
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 1.
HUNTING SWORD Italian,
1660
Hilt of type A-B, of rich
quality. In addition to
guard ring and knuckle
guard there are an anterior
and two posterior quillons,
one of the latter drooping.
Metal parts of hilt are
brass with facings of
stag-horn and silver,
the latter chased with
floral scrolls against
hatched background. Extremity
of knuckle guard silver-faced
and carved as dog's head.
Stag-horn grip with four
large rounded nail-heads
in silver on right side.
Blade ungrooved; panels
at base decorated with
etched foliate ornaments,
star, scrolls, and animals
(right, leaping wild boar;
left, leaping stag) against
hatched and gilded background.
Above panels a small etched
ornament gilded in lines.
Scabbard of brown leather
over wood; originally
intended to hold three
small implements; ferrule
missing and method of
suspension not indicated.
Chape of plain silvered
metal with vandyke edge.
14.25.975  L.
63 (50) Wt.
680
Riggs Benefaction
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68)
 2.
HUNTING SWORD German,
1665
Type B. Hilt stag-horn
and steel russeted. On
right side ring guard
filled with cut steel
plate embossed and carved
with palmette scrolls.
Flat knuckle guard and
single drooping quillon,
both faced with stag-horn.
Upper grip stag-horn with
large rounded steel nail-heads.
Blade with single shallow
groove; on each side partially
effaced engraving of turbaned
figure and arabesques
with bird; also inscriptions:
A. R., ANNO 1665, GLORIA
SOLI DEO.
14.25.976 L. 85 (70.5)
Wt. 970.5
Riggs Benefaction
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 3.
HUNTING SWORD AND TROUSSE
German, 1678
Type D. Hilt of silver.
Ricasso chased with rococo
scrolls. Straight quillons
terminating as dogs' heads
with muzzles opposed,
the rear quillon somewhat
longer and more elaborately
carved than the forward
and bearing hail marks
on the right near ricasso.
Grip of stag-horn with
silver bolster and cap
chased in parallel bands,
the latter with hail mark
as on quillons.
Blade spatulate, entirely
covered with etching of
calendar: January to June,
right; July to December,
left. This calendar includes
for each month: sign of
the zodiac, position of
sun (astrological), number
of days in month, length
of day and night, and
time of sunrise and sunset
at solstice, equinox,
or another fixed time;
for each day: moon's date,
day letter, and patron
saint. Below calendar
at base of blade, on each
side, table of movable
feasts, 1678-1700. On
right, below zodiacal
signs for March and June,
signature JOH. ADAM ELINGER
(?) L (or C).
Scabbard of russet leather;
hook suspension; ferrule
and chape of embossed
silver. Ferrule, front
(above), running stag,
boar pursued by hounds;
back, rococo scrolls.
Hall marks. Chape, front,
scrolls, square and lozenge-shaped
stamp, apparently without
lettering; back, horizontal
bands. Scabbard encloses
knife and fork en suite;
handles with large faceted
silver nail-heads and
silver caps, each with
hail mark as on sword.
14.25.972
L. 62.5 (48)
Wt. 711
Plate LXXXVII Riggs Benefaction
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 4.
TROUSSEAU DE CHASSE Saxon,
1690
Type D. Hilt of ivory
carved in the round. Quillons
opposed, as dogs pursuing
hares. Grip as hounds
pursuing stag, wild bear,
and lion.
Blade straight, single-edged;
back-edged for one-third
distance; behind that
single narrow groove;
at base traces of etched
hunting scene and inscription.
Scabbard of yellow-brown
(originally red) plush
with fittings of silvered
metal and ivory. Ferrule
of plain silvered metal.
Near top is pocket containing
knife and fork with ivory
handles carved in the
round as putti. At top
of pocket another ferrule
with large ivory plaque
carved in high relief
with putti playing with
dolphins. At middle of
scabbard another plaque
on metal base, showing
hounds attacking boar.
In lower scabbard pocket
with plain metal ferrule
is double-edged skewer
whose ivory handle represents
putti wrestling.
14.25.1149
L. 82 (64.5) Wt.
597
Provenance: Magniac Collection
(London, Christie's, 1892,
No. 1013).
Plate LXXXVIII Riggs Benefaction
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