A Superb, French, Superior Officer's Spontoon From The Battle of Minden, August 1st 1759 One Of The Great Victorious Battles Of The Anglo French 7 Years War. The Major Victory for The Allied Anglo-Hanoverian Forces Against The French of King Louis XVth

The Battle of Minden was a major victory for the Anglo-Hanoverian forces against the French on August 1, 1759, during the Seven Years' War. The Battle of Minden was a major engagement during the Seven Years' War, fought on 1 August 1759. An Anglo-German army under the overall command of Prussian Field Marshal Ferdinand of Brunswick defeated a French army commanded by Marshal of France, Marquis de Contades. Two years previously, the French had launched a successful invasion of Hanover and attempted to impose an unpopular treaty of peace upon the allied nations of Britain, Hanover and Prussia. After a Prussian victory at Rossbach, and under pressure from Frederick the Great and William Pitt, King George II disavowed the treaty. In 1758, the allies launched a counter-offensive against the French and Saxon forces and drove them back across the Rhine.

After the allies failed to defeat the French before reinforcements swelled their retreating army, the French launched a fresh offensive, capturing the fortress of Minden on 10 July. Believing Ferdinand's forces to be over-extended, Contades abandoned his strong positions around the Weser and advanced to meet the Allied forces in battle. The decisive action of the battle came when six regiments of British and two of Hanoverian infantry, in line formation, repelled repeated French cavalry attacks, contrary to all fears that the regiments would be broken. The Allied line advanced in the wake of the failed cavalry attack, sending the French army reeling from the field, ending all French designs upon Hanover for the remainder of the year.

In Britain, the victory is celebrated as contributing to the Annus Mirabilis of 1759.

Fine steel head with two stage blade with twin fullers and long extended ricasso twin opposing hook quillons, finely engraved with rococco scrols snd flower heads. after its loss in the battle the wooden haft rotted away leaving the steel head finely intact.
Recovered from the battle field at Minden during a Grand Tour, circa 1820, and acquired by the Hamilton family of the 10th Duke of Hamilton. Just returned from six months hand cleaning and conservation by our expert artisans, revealing the superb engraving required for a weapon of both combat and dress, and an infantry symbol of higher rank of a French regimental officer, and nobleman of France. Interestingly this would likely have been its last service in combat, as the French infantry officers had been slowly abandoning the spontoon since 1756, with the oldest highest ranked officers being the last to see service with the spontoon.

Richard Lassels, an expatriate Roman Catholic priest, first used the phrase “Grand Tour” in his 1670 book Voyage to Italy, published posthumously in Paris in 1670. In its introduction, Lassels listed four areas in which travel furnished "an accomplished, consummate traveler" with opportunities to experience first hand the intellectual, the social, the ethical, and the political life of the Continent.

The English gentry of the 17th century believed that what a person knew came from the physical stimuli to which he or she has been exposed. Thus, being on-site and seeing famous works of art and history was an all important part of the Grand Tour. So most Grand Tourists spent the majority of their time visiting museums and historic sites.

Once young men began embarking on these journeys, additional guidebooks and tour guides began to appear to meet the needs of the 20-something male and female travelers and their tutors traveling a standard European itinerary. They carried letters of reference and introduction with them as they departed from southern England, enabling them to access money and invitations along the way.

With nearly unlimited funds, aristocratic connections and months or years to roam, these wealthy young tourists commissioned paintings, perfected their language skills and mingled with the upper crust of the Continent.

The wealthy believed the primary value of the Grand Tour lay in the exposure both to classical antiquity and the Renaissance, and to the aristocratic and fashionably polite society of the European continent. In addition, it provided the only opportunity to view specific works of art, and possibly the only chance to hear certain music. A Grand Tour could last from several months to several years. The youthful Grand Tourists usually traveled in the company of a Cicerone, a knowledgeable guide or tutor.

The ‘Grand Tour’ era of classical acquisitions from history existed up to around the 1850’s, and extended around the whole of Europe, Egypt, the Ottoman Empire, and the Holy Land.

French officers would have used spontoons at the Battle of Minden, as they were still a standard symbol of rank for senior infantry officers in the French army in 1759. Although the army had begun to shift away from using them in combat, regulations at the time still required them for senior officers, though junior officers had started to carry fusils instead. The spontoon's function was not primarily as a weapon but as a mark of rank that officers used to give orders and signal to troops.
Regulations: According to military regulations, French infantry officers were required to carry spontoons.
Combat role: While spontoons were not typically intended for combat, officers used them to provide direction to their troops during battle.

Picture in the gallery of an Officer of Le regiment de Languedoc with his spontoon.  read more

Code: 25951

A1930's Third Reich, Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederei Air Ship Silver Knife & Fork, From The Hindenberg Dining Room, Allegedly Recovered After The Crash By a Lakehurst Based Military Officer. Made by Gebr.Hepp {the Hepp Brothers}

The Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederei (the German Zeppelin Transport Company, or DZR) was established on March 22, 1935, to operate German passenger airships.

On May 6, 1937. The world reknowned Nazi airship Hindenberg, upon landing at Lakehurst USA, exploded into a ball of fire. One of the very first international disasters that was captured live on film.

If one looks at the live disaster explosion photos in the gallery it seems remarkable that most of the passengers and crew survived. There were about 97 people onboard just 36 of them perished. During an attempt to land at Lakehurst Naval Air Station, the Hindenburg airship caught fire and disintegrated into a raging ball of fire near-instantaneously, in a display of rapid combustion unlike any other. Despite its enduring legacy as a horrific disaster, less than half of the people on board the Hindenburg actually died. 62 passengers and crew escaped with their lives.

A simple yet powerful memorial marks the site of the crash. A cement outline in the shape of the Hindenburg stretches across the airfield in the spot where the airship crash-landed in flames.

The site was declared a Registered National Historic Landmark in 1961.

Prior to the establishment of the DZR, passenger zeppelins were built by the Luftshiffbau Zeppelin (the Zeppelin Airship Construction Company, known as the “LZ”) and operated by DELAG (Deutsche Luftschiffahrts-Aktiengesellschaft, or German Airship Transportation Corporation Ltd), which was established in 1909 as an offshoot of the LZ and dominated by Hugo Eckener. With the establishment of the DZR, airship activities were divided between the LZ, which would continue to build the airships, and the DZR, which would operate them. Consistent with Nazi ideology, the airship was expected to be more than just a private commercial venture; it was to be a public symbol of the new German nation. In a speech marking the founding of the DZR, Göring commented: “I hope that the new ship will also fulfill its duty in furthering the cause of Germany… The airship does not have the exclusive purpose of flying across the Atlantic, but also has a responsibility to act as the nation’s representative.”

The establishment of the DZR may have also been partly inspired by the bureaucratic rivalry between Air Minister Göring and Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels, and Goering’s commitment of 9 million marks to the zeppelin project, on condition of the creation of the DZR, came shortly after Goebbels offered the Zeppelin Company 2 million marks toward the completion of LZ-129 in the summer of 1934.

In March 1935, the South Atlantic flights became the responsibility of the Nazi controlled Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederei, after this company had been set up jointly by Luftschiffbau Zeppelin, the German Air Ministry and Deutsche Lufthansa. The DZR was created at the instigation of Air Minister Hermann Goring as a way to increase Nazi control over zeppelin operations, and can be see as part of the larger policy of Gleichschaltung, or coordination, which affected all aspects of German life in the years following Hitler’s assumption of power.

Consistent with Nazi ideology, the airship was expected to be more than just a private commercial venture; it was to be a public symbol of the new German nation.

In a speech marking the founding of the DZR, Goring commented:

“I hope that the new ship will also fulfil its duty in furthering the cause of Germany
The airship does not have the exclusive purpose of flying across the Atlantic, but also has a responsibility to act as the nation’s representative.”

The even larger airship, the LZ 129 'Hindenburg' joined the 'Graf Zeppelin' in 1936, and, in addition to South Atlantic flights with its partner, inaugurated a service over the North Atlantic, between Frankfurt and Lakehurst in New Jersey, in the summer. Also in 1936 the South American route was extended to Rio de Janeiro. Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederei ceased operations as the commercial use of airships came to an abrupt end on 6 May 1937, when the 'Hindenburg' exploded at Lakehurst.
We also have a silver tray from the same flights, and was the product of the same silver company that made the Third Reich military cutlery and other silver objects for the Third Reich hierarchy - Gbr. Hepp. {Hepp Brothers}

His company, alongside his rival, Wellner, was a maker of much of the Fuhrer's formal dinnerware, and the Reich chancellery dinnerware pieces. Many items by were used in several of Hitler's residences, the Hotel Der Deutscher Hof personally used by Hitler, and numerous state offices. The Zeppelin Corps became one of the shortest-lived German service branches of World War II. After the German invasion of Poland in 1939, the Luftwaffe ordered the last two Zeppelin airships moved to a large Zeppelin hangar in Frankfurt. In March of 1940, Goring ordered their destruction and the aluminium fed into the Nazi war industry. In May, a fire broke out in the Zeppelin facility which destroyed most of the remaining parts. The rest of the parts and materials were soon scrapped with almost no trace of the German "Giants of the Air" remaining by the end of the year.

Although the dining-room cutlery was the same for both the Hindenberg and the Graf Zeppelin, by family repute this cutlery pair came from the Hindenberg, recovered after the fatal crash. They were blackened with soot but were polished up beautifully, and fully intact. The family originally had a military officer stationed at the base at Lakehurst, New Jersey, at the time, and he witnessed the explosion and helped directing the clear-up over the following few days. the last photo in the gallery is the crash site with the clean-up crew to the top left of the photo, the officer that found this knife and fork is apparently one of those men.

Another fork from the Hindenburg was featured on an episode of the show Antiques Roadshow {US} in the "Vintage Tampa" episode, which aired as Season 18, Episode 20.
Mon, Jun 23, 2014  read more

Code: 25947

SOLD An Original English Civil War Period Portrait of General George Monk & General Monk's Early Leather Bound Biography. IInd Edition Of Thomas Skinner M.D,'s Manuscript, Edited For J. Graves in St James'

A fine portrait After Samuel Cooper of George Monk, 1st Duke of Albemarle. Oil on canvas laid on board, inscribed Gen: Monk, Duke of Albermale upper centre. And a fine volume of The Life of General Monk, Duke of Albemarle 2nd Edit. 1724. George Monk, 1st Duke of Albemarle, KG (6 December 1608 - 3 January 1670) was an English soldier and politician and a key figure in the Restoration of Charles II. During the operations on the Scottish border in the Bishops' Wars (1639-1640) he showed his skill and coolness in the dispositions by which he saved the English artillery at the Battle of Newburn (1640).

At the outbreak of the Irish rebellion (1641) Monck became colonel of Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicester's regiment under the command of James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde. All the qualities for which he was noted through life his talent for making himself indispensable, his imperturbable temper and his impenetrable secrecy were fully displayed in this post. The governorship of Dublin stood vacant, and Leicester recommended Monck.

However, Charles I overruled the appointment in favour of Charles Lambart, 1st Earl of Cavan, and Monck surrendered the appointment without protest. James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde viewed him with suspicion as one of two officers who refused to take the oath to support the Royal cause in England and sent him under guard to Bristol.

Monck justified himself to Charles I in person, and his astute criticisms of the conduct of the Irish war impressed the king, who gave him a command in the army brought over from Ireland during the English Civil War. Taken prisoner by Parliament's Northern Association Army under Sir Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron at the Battle of Nantwich in January 1644, he spent the next two years in the Tower of London. He spent his imprisonment writing his Observations on Military and Political Affairs Monck's experience in Ireland led to his release. He was made major general in the army sent by Parliament against Irish rebels. Making a distinction (like other soldiers of the time) between fighting the Irish and taking arms against the king, he accepted the offer and swore loyalty to the Parliamentary cause. He made little headway against the Irish led by Owen Roe O'Neill and concluded an armistice (called then a "convention") with the rebel leaders upon terms which he knew the Parliament would not ratify. The convention was a military expedient to deal with a military necessity. When in February 1649 Scotland proclaimed Charles, Prince of Wales, as Charles II, King of Scotland, the Protestant Ulster Scots settlers did the same and following Charles's lead took the Solemn League and Covenant. Most of Monck's army went over to the Royalist cause, placing themselves under the command of Hugh Montgomery, 1st Earl of Mount Alexander. Monck himself remained faithful to Parliament and returned to England.

Although Parliament disavowed the terms of the truce, no blame was attached to Monck's recognition of military necessity. He next fought at Oliver Cromwell's side in Scotland at the 1650 Battle of Dunbar, a resounding Roundhead victory. Made commander-in-chief in Scotland by Cromwell, Monck completed the subjugation of the country.

In February 1652 Monck left Scotland to recover his broken health at Bath, and in November of the same year he became a General at Sea in the First Anglo-Dutch War, which ended in a decisive victory for the Commonwealth's fleet and marked the beginning of England's climb to supremacy over the Dutch at sea.

On his return to shore Monck married Anne Radford (nee Clarges).In 1653 he was nominated one of the representatives for Devon in Barebone's Parliament. He returned to Scotland, methodically beating down a Royalist insurrection in the Highlands. At Cromwell's request, Monck remained in Scotland as governor During the confusion which followed Cromwell's death on 3 September 1658, Monck remained silent and watchful at Edinburgh, careful only to secure his hold on his troops. At first he contemplated armed support of Richard Cromwell, but on realising the young man's incapacity for government, he gave up this idea and renewed his waiting policy. In July 1659 direct and tempting proposals were again made to him by the future Charles II. Monck was elected Member of Parliament for both Devon and Cambridge University in the Convention Parliament of 1660. Though he protested his adherence to republican principles, it was a matter of common knowledge that the parliament would have a strong Royalist colour. Monck himself, in communication with Charles II, accepted the latter's Declaration of Breda of 4 April 1660, which was largely based on Monck's recommendations. On 1 May the newly convened Convention Parliament formally invited Charles, as King Charles II, to be the English monarch in what has become known as the Restoration. The painting size is 27cm x 23.5 cm., and in its frame it is 16.75 inches x 15.5 inches  read more

Code: 22723

A Rare Original Handwritten German Picture Postcard From Hitler's Titanic, One of The Most Famous Ships of WW2. German Ship Sunk By Soviet Submarine with the Loss of up to 11,000 Lives Making It The Greatest Loss in Worldwide Maritime History

It is most rare to find an original, dated, addressed and handwritten postcard from the Willhelm Gustloff.

MV Wilhelm Gustloff was a German military transport ship which was sunk on 30 January 1945 by Soviet submarine S-13 in the Baltic Sea while evacuating civilian evacuees from East Prussia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and Estonia and German military personnel from Gotenhafen (Gdynia) as the Red Army advanced. By one estimate, 9,400 people died, making it the largest loss of life in a single ship sinking in history.

Originally constructed as a cruise ship for the Nazi Strength Through Joy (Kraft durch Freude) organization in 1937, Wilhelm Gustloff had been requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine (German navy) in 1939. She served as a hospital ship in 1939 and 1940. She was then assigned as a floating barracks for naval personnel in Gotenhafen before being fitted with anti-aircraft guns and put into service to transport evacuees in 1945.

Headline from a German newspaper recording the disaster, translation;

​"Wilhelm Gustloff" - Disaster
​Party stormed with inquiries

​​ ​The offices of the Party and the Navy in all parts of the Reich were yesterday stormed by anxious persons, who suspect that their relatives were perhaps onboard the "Wilhelm Gustloff", which was torpedoed by a Russian submarine on January 30th at 9:00 pm in the Danzig Bay and sunk within 15 minutes. The number of victims of the "Wilhelm Gustloff" disaster is still not certain, since no office of the Party or of the Kriegsmarine can accurately say, how many Eastern refugees and members of the Wehrmacht were on board, when the ship left Gotenhafen.

​​932 saved
​ On the basis of the latest research, it must be assumed that not 8,000, as we reported yesterday, but 10 to 11,000 passengers were on board. Only 932 were saved. ​Of which 658 were members of the Kriegsmarine. Serious accusations are now being raised against the Danzig Party offices, who insisted that the "Wilhelm Gustloff" should depart on January 30th, even though the head of the Security Baltic Sea had pointed out that the necessary number of security units could not be placed before February 4.
​
​The "Wilhelm Gustloff" departed nevertheless on the 30th of January in the evening with the completely inadequate securing from an outpost boat and two R-boats. All the decks of the "Wilhelm Gustloff" were so crowded that no one could move. At the embarkation it was said, the journey takes however only a few hours.When the ship was hit by the Russian torpedo at exactly 9 o'clock pm, just an hour after the departure, hardly anybody could escape from the lower decks. Many passengers were thrown into the sea at the time the ship capsized, frozen in the icy water before they could be helped.
​
​Survivors report the horror scene, which took place after the explosion onboard the ship. All lights on board are extinguished at a stroke. In wild panic, the passengers tried to find a way to the deck despite the darkness. Hundreds of women and children were trampled to death on the stairs and corridors.
​
​Women and children
​ In the fierce battle that took place around the few rescue boats, women and children were ruthlessly pushed overboard. After just ten minutes, the 25,000 - ton ship listed hard. Five minutes later, the "Wilhelm Gustloff" capsized and took many thousands with her into the depth. Others, who had fallen from the deck or hurled into the sea, fell into the wake of the sinking ship and disappeared into the flood. The "Wilhelm Gustloff" was finished in 1937 as a KdF ship and was taken over by the Kriegsmarine in 1940 first as a hospital ship. Since March 1941 she was the home of the submarine teaching division in Gotenhafen.

The newspaper is shown for education purposes only  read more

Code: 24443

A Koto Period Signed Kiyomitsu Chisa Katana With Original Edo Period Mounts & Saya With The Toyatomi Clan & Imperial Kiri Kamon

Circa 1500,
With original urushi lacquer saya in black featuring a design of the Kiri mon. A jolly nice, likely Koto period, iron, round tsuba, decorated with a seated silver figure, with gold, cloud and shimmering water highlights, and a background twin mountain scene. Carved buffalo horn kurigata and kashira, gold fuchi engraving decorated. A pair of nice menuki over patterned silk and strong tsuka-Ito.

Kaga (Kashu) Kiyomitsu: This line of swordsmiths was active for multiple generations, with different smiths known as "Kiyomitsu" existing in various provinces like Bizen, Mino, and Kaga.
Providence: Swords signed by Kiyomitsu were sometimes used by historical figures, such as the legendary Shinsengumi swordsman Okita Soji, though this is a point of debate among experts

The Kiyomitsu line was quite prosperous during the multiple wars of the Muromachi period. Since there were many smiths using this mei, it is very hard to assign a work without a personal name to a certain specific generation.

Hawley likely lists this swords potential smith to be active 1467-1510 and mixes in information for Kiyomitsu Shodai, i.e. being a son of Yukumitsu. This records fills the generation gap between Kiyomitsu Shodai and Nidai. It appears to be either Hawley's mistake or he possessed other information about some Kiyomitsu who was active between 1st and 2nd generations.

This early sword is perfect for the antique historical admirer of samurai warfare and history, the blade has signs of wear from the past five centuries, yet it is still a beautiful sword, thus it is absolutely perfect for the ancient historical samurai warfare collector, rather than those dedicated to seeking simply blade perfection.


The chisa katana was able to be used with one or two hands like a katana (with a small gap in between the hands) and especially made for double sword combat a sword in each hand. It was the weapon of preference worn by the personal Samurai guard of a Daimyo Samurai war lord clan chief, as very often the Daimyo would be often likely within his castle than without. The chisa katana sword was far more effective as a defence against any threat to the Daimyo's life by assassins or the so-called Ninja when hand to hand sword combat was within the castle structure, due to the restrictions of their uniform low ceiling height. But in trained hands this sword would have been a formidable weapon in close combat conditions, when the assassins were at their most dangerous. The hilt was usually around ten to eleven inches in length, but could be from eight inches or up to twelve inches depending on the Samurai's preference. Chisa katana, Chiisagatana or literally "short katana", are shoto mounted as katana. It is fair to say wakizashi are shoto which are mounted in a similar way to katana, but in this instance we are considering the predecessors of the daisho. In the transitional period from tachi to katana, katana were called "uchigatana", and shoto were referred to as "koshigatana" and "chiisagatana", in many cases quite longer than the later more normal length wakizashi.  read more

Code: 25946

An Absolutely Superb Esoteric Antique Witchcraft Fetish Statue. An African Kongo Witch Doctor's Nail-Fetish Figure, A Voduo {Voodoo} Nkondo Nkisi. Historically Much Feared by Victorian Missionaries as Instruments of Sorcery. Made by The Tribal Nganga

In the world of art collecting, original rare African tribal carvings of Mangaaka Power figures such as this,are about as desirable one can get.

Some of the most valuable collections of such Mangaaka Power figures etc. {from the 1880's to 1900's} in the world, are now in the Met or Smithsonian in America, donated by such as the Michael C. Rockefeller wing collection by Nelson Rockefeller.

The African Kongo Witch Doctor's power figures minkisi {plural of nkisi} that stand prominent among all minkisi is called nkisi {sacred medicine} nkondi {hunter} likely from the Bakongo people. This type of figure is commonly called a nail fetish and is one of the most recognisable and collectible figures in all of African art. These life-like figures are instantly identified by the many nails, pegs, blades, and shards that are hammered into them and made by the tribal Nganga { Witch Doctor } .

Each individual insertion represents one of three things: an oath or agreement between two parties, a pledge to provide protection against enemies and witchcraft, or a vow of vengeance. 'Nkondi' literally means 'hunter;' and it is generally considered an aggressive entity.

The insertions are driven into the figure by the nganga and represent the mambu and the type or degree of severity of an issue can be suggested through the material itself. A peg may refer to a matter being ‘settled’ whereas a nail, or metal shard, deeply inserted, may represent a more serious offense such as murder. Prior to insertion, opposing parties or clients often lick the blades or nails, to seal the function or purpose of the nkisi through their saliva. If an oath is broken by one of the parties or evil befalls one of them, the nkisi nkondi will become activated to carry out its mission of destruction or divine protection

The imposing presence and implied power of nkisi nkondi is certainly enough to keep anyone committed to a promise or agreement. Like other minkisi, powerful medicine is usually stored inside the belly, which can then covered by a piece of glass or mirror. The reflective surface represents the world of the dead and the vision of the spirits. One is a traditional naked fetish witchcraft figure, standing upright, deeply carved staring eyes a the body studded overall with hundreds of sharp shards of iron driven into the body, a traditional oath taking figure, with its right arm outstretched, upwards that may, some believe, have once held a spear.

A nkisi has many interrelated functions. African doctors use it to effect healing. They use the nkisi to search for the spiritual and physical source of a malady and then chase it away from the body. As a preventive measure, spiritual leaders also use it to protect the human soul, guarding it against disease and illness. In addition, they may use it to bind its owner to a friend or to attract lovers. It is also used to serve as a charm to repel enemies, arrest them in their tracks, or inflict an illness on them. Alternatively, a nkisi can be used to embody and direct a spirit; similarly, it can be used as a hiding place for a troubled soul, keeping order.

Nkisi, in west-central African lore, any object or material substance invested with sacred energy and made available for spiritual protection. One tradition of the Kongo people of west-central Africa holds that the god Funza gave the world the first nkisi. Africans uprooted during the Atlantic slave-trade era carried with them some knowledge of nkisi making. In places throughout the United States, particularly in the Deep South, African descendants still create minkisi. Nkisi making is also found throughout the Caribbean and South America, in places such as Cuba, Haiti, and Brazil.

This wild appearance of the Nganga was intended to create a frightening effect, or kimbulua in the Kongo language. The nganga's costume was often modeled on his nkisi. The act of putting on the costume was itself part of the performance; all participants were marked with red and white stripes, called makila, for protection.

The "circles of white around the eyes" refer to mamoni lines (from the verb mona, to see). These lines purport to indicate the ability to see hidden sources of illness and evil.

Yombe nganga often wore white masks, whose color represented the spirit of a deceased person. White was also associated with justice, order, truth, invulnerability, and insight: all virtues associated with the nganga.

The nganga is instructed in the composition of the nkondi, perhaps in a dream, by a particular spirit. In one description of the banganga's process, the nganga then cuts down a tree for the wood that s/he will use to construct the nkondi. He then kills a chicken, which causes the death of a hunter who has been successful in killing game and whose captive soul subsequently animates the nkondi figure. Based on this process, *Gell writes that the nkondi is a figure an index of cumulative agency, a "visible knot tying together an invisible skein of spatio-temporal relations" of which participants in the ritual are aware

After a tribal carver artist completed carving the artifact, the "nganga" transformed it into an object capable of healing illness, settling disputes, safeguarding the peace, and punishing wrongdoers. Each work of this kind or "nkisi" is associated with a spirit, that is subjected to a degree of human control.
Europeans may have encountered these objects during expeditions to the Congo as early as the 15th century. However, several of these fetish objects, as they were often termed, were confiscated by missionaries in the late 19th century and were destroyed as evidence of sorcery or heathenism. Nevertheless, several were collected as objects of fascination and even as an object of study of Kongo culture. Kongo traditions such as those of the nkisi nkondi have survived over the centuries and migrated to the Americas and the Caribbean via Afro-Atlantic religious practices such as vodun, Palo Monte, and macumba. In Hollywood these figures have morphed into objects of superstition such as New Orleans voodoo dolls covered with stick pins. Nonetheless, minkisi have left an indelible imprint as visually provocative figures of spiritual importance and protection.

Often such figures were placed outside, or within, the hut of a certain form of tribal elder, what we would refer to as, the tribal witch-doctor, called a Nganga as a symbol of his position within the local village, and his ability to cause magical curses and unpleasantness for villagers who had fallen out with others of the village or region, who then sought out the services of the so called 'witch-doctor' to resolve the problem, with, such as, a curse.

Vintage Hand Carved African Medicine Man Nkisi figures. Esoteric collector's pieces, connected to the so-called western term of Voodoo {vodou} magic, part of the pantheon of the occult, magic & witchcraft of Africa.

Among the various Kongo peoples, nkisi means a sacred medicine. This word has been extended to include objects containing that medicine as well. The carved wooden statues referred to in the 19th century as nail fetishes and more recently as power figures containing medicine that imbues them with divine power, are therefore nkisi as well. Due to the medicine they contain (which is administered by a witch doctor or nganga), they act as agents of divine power, granting requests. healing or attesting to agreements. Each decision or resolution is literally nailed down in the figure.

A certain class of nkisi, called nkondi, are able to enforce the solutions they provide actively and to seek vengeance against those who heed them not. These figures either menace the viewer with spears and fierce facial expressions, or strike intimidating, belligerent poses.

Nkisi nkondi specialize in different areas of life. The most important nkisi nkondi carries out mangaaka, or preeminent justice.

Surveillance or watchfulness assist the effective enforcement of the power figure’s decisions. This is registered in the size of the eyes or, in some cases, by multiple sets of eyes. The rope wrapped around some figures represents a snake, a watchful predator who lends its powers of observation to the figure. Double-headed figures have double the visual powers and can see into the city of the dead and the realm of the living at the same time.

Each power figure has a distinct personality, ranging from contemplative to angry to soulful to reserved to compassionate. The ability to suggest those qualities visually with such immediacy and precision is one of the most impressive aspect of the surviving figures.

Kongo religion Kikongo: Bukongo. Bakongo religion was translocated to the Americas along with its enslaved practitioners. Some surviving traditions include conjure, dreaming, possession by the dead to learn wisdom from the ancestors, traditional healing and working with minkisi. The spiritual traditions and religions that have preserved Kongo traditions include Hoodoo, Palo Monte, Lumbalú, Kumina, Haitian Vodou, Candomblé Bantu, Kongo traditions such as those of the nkisi nkondi have survived over the centuries and migrated to the Americas and the Caribbean via Afro-Atlantic religious practices such as vodun, Palo Monte, and macumba.

Similar examples in the Smithsonian and Metropolitan in the USA. One very similar nkisi, from the late 19th to mid 20th century has been a highlight of the Rockefeller collection since its acquisition in 1952.

*Gell, A . The Art of Anthropologie. London: Humanities Press.  read more

Code: 25498

A Rare, Museum Piece, An Original, Antique, Very Impressive, & Iconic Bantu People Ngombe Doko Tribal Chiefs Power & Status Sword, Especially Used for Executions. An Ngulu. Also Called an Ngol, an Ngwolo, an M'Bolo, or, a Gulu By Connected Tribes

A rare museum piece due to its originality {not, as is most frequently seen these days, an old tourist piece} and it is in truly exceptional condition. A stunning original example of original antique Tribal Art.
Professionally conserved to last in this beautiful condition for the next 100 years.

This large execution short sword was a symbol of power - and was a "ceremonial sword for tribal chiefs". With its indigenous names of an Ngulu, an Ngol, an Ngwolo, a M'Bolo, & a Gulu

The drawings in the gallery show the use of these Ngulu execution and power swords at various executions. The back side of the blade was used as a machete for cutting. It was believed a person remained "aware" for some time after decapitation. As a result, the deceased final sensual experience was flying through the air to meet his or her ancestors. Executions were not judicial events meant for murders or criminals. They were events carried out for ceremonial purposes and the chosen were invariably slaves.

Werner Fisher & Manfred A. Zirngibl wrote in their book Afrikanische Waffen: This design was selected for cult and execution. A knife or short sword was created which symbolised the inexorableness on the judgment and execution. This execution sword became a symbol of power and, in a few variations became a ceremonial sword for tribal chieftains.
At executions, the condemned man was tied to the ground with ropes and poles. His head was fastened with leather straps to a bent tree branch. In this way it was ensured that the man's neck would remain stretched. After the decapitation, the head would be automatically catapulted far away and his body left behind. Used by the Bantu peoples (including the Ngombe, Doko, Ngala, etc.) of the Congo Basin. The Ngulu beheading was forbidden by the Belgians during the Free State of Congo period (1885-1908). It resembles the Khopesh, the sickle-sword of ancient Egypt, except that it has a much more massive blade, made of iron, with sometimes a non-cutting back and a semi-circular concavity.

The blade hadn't been cleaned or polished for well over 100 years, so we fully conserved the whole sword. We removed {by hand} all the red oxidised blade surface colour to return it to its original, hand crafted steel colouring, revealing all it original age patina, and some not inconsiderable hand engraving, and then conserved and polished the complete original carved wooden hilt with brass studwork  read more

Code: 22327

An Extraordinary, 1100 to 1200 year old, Original, Ancient Viking Draken Head Staff Mount. A Knob of a Staff or Wand of Magic, Used By A Völva, a Sorcerer or Sorceress of Seiđr. A Seiðstafr, The Staff of Power in Viking Occult & Magick

Just returned from expert conservation {undertaken over many months}.
A fabulous ancient bronze Draken head {Viking for dragon} with remains of its forged iron wand attached to its socket mount. Modelled on one of the greatest iconic symbols of the Viking Norsemen, the Draken head, the iconic symbol on the prow of a Viking longship, the Draken figurehead.

The iron staff or wand was an important accessory used by the Völva when carrying out Seiđr, Viking magic. The.magic staffs were around two to three foot long, forged of iron, often in the form of a distaff, with a knob pommel, that could take many forms, made of other metals, more usually brass or bronze, sometimes the knob might be inlaid with gems, and the staff was used by professional Viking sorcerers and sorceresses when performing Seiđr, the Viking tradition of the occult.

These staffs acquired a plenitude of meanings and functions, from symbolic to practical. As such the staff may be understood as the attribute of a völva, the rod keeping up the world, a distaff spinning the future

"From the beginning seiðr was the prerogative of the gods, and it is clear that its origins predate the Viking Age by several centuries (Hedeager 1997). The sources relate how Òðin became the supreme master of sorcery, having learnt of its powers from the goddess Freyja."
(Price, N. 2008 “Sorcery and Circumpolar Traditions in Old Norse Belief” p. 245 in “The Viking World” Brink, S. & Price, N. eds)

Ok hon hafði staf í hendi, ok var á knappr

Eiríks saga rauða describes a seiðkonur with her staff:

"(Thorbjorg the seiðkonur) was dressed in such wise that she had a blue mantle over her, with strings for the neck, and it was inlaid with gems quite down to the skirt. On her neck she had glass beads. On her head she had a black hood of lambskin, lined with ermine. A staff she had in her hand, with a knob thereon; it was ornamented with brass, and inlaid with gems round about the knob."

A völva buried in Fyrkat, Denmark was buried with a box containing talismans or taufr. These included an owl pellet, small bones from birds and animals as well as henbane seeds. When thrown on a fire, henbane seeds can produce a hallucinogenic smoke that gives those who inhale it a sense of flying which may have enhanced the völva’s trance. The völur who were buried in the Oseberg ship were similarly outfitted with a pouch of cannabis seeds for their journey beyond life.

Völur were also buried with a staff, not only a shamanic implement but also an insignia of their profession. The Old Norse term völva has been widely translated to mean a “wand carrier” or “magical staff bearer”. Many shamans use a ceremonial staff as an object of spiritual power. Held during the visionary ritual of seiðr these seiðstafr or völ, may have been representation of the World Tree as is common among shamans from the Arctic to Asia and down to the Peruvian Amazon. Since the spiritual principle uniting the spirit worlds for the Norse was the Great Tree, Yggdrassil it makes sense that völur would carry a staff. Being able to travel into the realms of the spirits is a critical requirement for any shamanic practitioner. The wand or staff would function as a connection to all the realms of spirit as well as another kind of tether to help a völva return to this world.

We show in the gallery one drawing of a museum exhibit, an iron staff of power recovered from a burial, in Klinta, Oland, Sweden, and held to the right is a recreated copy of the ancient Viking relic with its brass, formed, knob pommel.

Being a staff pommel, we believe it is the smallest surviving part of a Seiðstafr, {The Staff of Power} yet, of all the surviving examples we have seen in the past 50 years, and they are so few as to be near non-existent, this example is, in our opinion, the most iconic Viking image example existing, and likely now unique in the world {so far discovered}, and as such, may be the only surviving part of its type to appear on the open market, or ever likely to.

The closest example we have ever seen are the small, semi flat, cast draken head clothing pins that were cast, often in lead, in intaglio carved mould stones. Which show just how important the draken (dragon) head was to Viking symbolic culture. We show a really rare find, of one such small Draken head clothes pin moulds, in carved soapstone, now in the collection of Swedish History Museum.

For example; With regards to expert conservation methods of bronze {copper alloy} objects {and some other materials} The dirt from the surface of the object could be removed manually using a scalpel under magnification. Care would be taken not to dislodge the powdery, corroding surface. Where the surface was in particualrly bad condition the dirt will be left in situ and small areas might be locally consolidated using 2.5% HMG Paraloid B72 (methyl ethyl methacrlylate) in 50:50 Acetone (propan-1-one/dimethyl ketone) and Industrial methylated spirits (ethanol,methanol. This method of conservation is also used by the British Museum {amongst other institutions}

Our Draken head is approx. 6cm long overall, including the remaining iron staff top.
As with all our items it comes complete with our certificate of authenticity  read more

Code: 24789

A Good 19th Century, Heavy Grade, Antique 'Berber's' Jambiya or Koummya

Two ring mounting with beautiful and finely scroll engraved panelled front decoration The koummya is the characteristic traditional dagger of the Berber and Arabic peoples of Morocco. Stone classifies these as being one localised variant of the Arabic jambiya, and the contoured handles, curved double-edged blades and exaggeratedly upturned scabbard tips are all features consistent with such an interpretation. In the context of the traditional regional manner of dress, the koummya is worn visibly at the left side, generally about at the level of the waist and is suspended vertically, with the scabbard tip forward, by a long woolen baldric, attached at either end to one of the two scabbard rings, and worn crossing in front and back of the torso and over the right shoulder. A much greater diversity in forms and decoration exists than is represented by the examples presented here and presumably such features could be used to place particular examples geographically and temporarily.
Koummya blades are curved and double edged with the portion nearer the hilt remaining relatively straight while the curvature becomes pronounced in the half towards the tip. The length of the blade which is bevelled and sharpened is longer along the concave side than along the opposite convex side. Blade thickness tapers from the base of the blade, where it is thickest, to the tip. While the edge bevels may give the blade a flattened diamond or lenticular cross-section towards the tip, the cross-section is rectangular at the forte. These blades are characteristically relatively thin and utilitarian and the presence of fullers or ridges is not typical.  read more

Code: 23296

A Large Volume of Foxe's Book of Martyrs 1570, by An Impartial Hand. Detailing the Burning at the Stake of the Protestant Martyrs Under Queen ‘Bloody’ Mary the 1st’s Rule, Published 1741, Formerly Part of the Richard Hoare Collection.

This would make a superb gift, or addition to a collection for a devoted antiquarian bibliophile.

Bearing original Richard Hoare’s Ex-Libris bookplate. One of the most foremost and important books of the 16th century, and a fabulous book for those that wish to have a most impressive rare book as a statement piece for an eclectic collection of unusual artefacts covering a broad spectrum. An absolute beauty. The Book of Martyrs: Containing an Account of the Sufferings and Death of the Protestants in the Reign of Queen Mary. ... Illustrated with Copper-plates. Originally Written by Mr. J. F., and Now Revised and Corrected by an Impartial Hand. One of the martyrs was Derek Carver, owner of a Brighton brewery barely 150 yards from our Brighton gallery. He was burnt at the stake in 1555, in our local Sussex market town of Lewes, while stood in a beer barrel, around 12 miles distant from us. A most fine example formerly from the library and private collection [with family crest and library plate] of Richard Hoare descendant of famous abolitionist and 'Sign of the Black Horse' founding banker, Samuel Hoare Jr. Richard, of Marden Hill Hertfordshire, was born in 1824, son of the banker Samuel Hoare (1783-1847) who was grandson of Quaker and abolitionist Samuel Hoare Jr. whose bank, Barnetts, Hoares, Hanbury & Lloyd, first used The Sign of the Black Horse as it's symbol, that was taken over and used by Lloyds Bank as it's logo in 1884. We show a portrait of young Richard Hoare painted by Royal Academician George Richmond
The book was originally produced in 1563 and illustrated with over sixty distinctive woodcut impressions and was to that time the largest publishing project ever undertaken in England. Their product was a single volume book, a bit over a foot long, two palms-span wide, too deep to lift with only one hand, and weighed about the same as a small infant. Foxe's own title for the first edition (as scripted and spelled), is Actes and Monuments of these Latter and Perillous Days, Touching Matters of the Church. Long titles being conventionally expected, so this title continues and claims that the book describes "persecutions and horrible troubles" that had been "wrought and practiced by the Roman Prelates, speciallye in this realm of England and Scotland". Foxe's temporal range was "from the yeare of our Lorde a thousand unto the tyme nowe present"

Following closely on the heels of the first edition (Foxe complained that the text was produced at "a breakneck speed"), the 1570 edition was in two volumes and had expanded considerably. The page count went from approximately 1,800 pages in 1563 to over 2,300 folio pages. The number of woodcuts increased from 60 to 150. As Foxe wrote about his own living (or executed) contemporaries, the illustrations could not be borrowed from existing texts, as was commonly practiced. The illustrations were newly cut to depict particular details, linking England's suffering back to "the primitive tyme" until, in volume I, "the reigne of King Henry VIII"; in volume two, from Henry's time to "Queen Elizabeth our gracious Lady now reygnyng..The title plate bears a hand penned note dating the entry in 1847 at Marden Hill. n the 1540s the Black Lion brewery was purchased by a Flemish man named Deryk Carver. A Protestant, Carver had fled religious persecution in his home country and had settled in England. At this time, England was a Protestant country following Henry VIII’s break with Rome and the establishment of the Church of England in the early 1530s. Unfortunately for Carver, this policy was reversed in 1553 when Queen Mary I succeeded to the throne. Mary restored Catholicism as the state religion, and revived a series of heresy laws that outlawed Protestant practices. In late 1554 a series of persecutions began, which have left Mary with the nickname of ‘Bloody Mary’.

Carver, who acted as lay preacher in his house in Brighton, was an early victim. He was arrested in October 1554, and tried in London the following year. When questioned by Bishop Bonner on his beliefs, Carver refused to recant his Protestant practices. Sealing his fate, Carver made a fierce attack on the Catholic faith:

‘..your doctrine is poison and sorcery. If Christ were here you would put Him to a worse death than He was put to before. You say that you can make a God: ye can make a pudding as well. Your ceremonies in the Church be beggary and poison.’ (Quoted in John Ackerson Erredge, History of Brighthelmstone 2005, p.120).

Carver was found guilty and burnt at the stake in Lewes on 22 July 1555. In order to mock his profession, he was placed in a barrel prior to his execution.

Carver is one of several Protestant martyrs whose death is marked by the bonfire celebrations in Lewes. But he has never been forgotten in Brighton. John Ackerson Erredge, the first historian of Brighton, dedicated an entire chapter of his History of Brighthelmstone to his execution. The Black Lion brewery was regarded as one of the oldest buildings in Brighton until it was demolished in about 1970. It was partially rebuilt in 1974 as a near-replica of the original building. David Hawkins [senior] attempted to buy the original former brewery, in order to save it for posterity, and donate it to the town, but his offer was sadly rejected, and an office block architecturally inspired by a shoebox, was built on its main site. In 1970 building regulations in Brighton were woefully inconsiderate to historically important buildings. Book dimensions; 9.75 inches x 15 inches x 2.25 inches 713 pages , plus index of the victims up to 'H'.  read more

Code: 19180