Antique Arms & Militaria
Presented By The Queen of Spain in 1837 To US General John H Eaton, President Jackson’s Aide in the Creek War, & The War of 1812. Worn in The American Civil War By Col. Magruder The Hero of Fredericksburg, And By Him At The Funeral of President Lincoln
After personal presentation from the Queen of Spain to General Eaton this sword became the property, by inheritance, and was worn, during the American Civil War, by of US Civil War hero of Fredericksburg, Colonel James A Magruder
Just at the time the war was threatening Colonel Magruder was with General Meigs in erecting fortification in Virginia around the city. When the war came on he was commissioned as Major of the 15th New York Engineers. His regiment was immediately ordered to the front. The pontoon bridge across the Rappahannock River, at Fredericksburg, Virginia, was built under his directions, he at the time remaining in the saddle for sixty straight hours, under a steady fire from the enemy. Soon after going to the front he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and he held that position until the close of the war. He was a personal friend of General Grant. From the repeated cannonading, Colonel Magruder became deaf,
This fabulous eagle hilted sword was worn, after its inheritance from General Eaton, by the friend of Ulysses S. Grant, Col. James A. Magruder, during the Cival War and at the funeral of President Lincoln.
Since 1967, for several decades, this wonderful and historic sword was on display at Dumbarton House in Washington DC, a federal historic house museum
A simply stunning historical Spanish presentation General’s sword, presented, by tradition, to United States General John H Eaton, Envoy Extraordinary & Minister Plenipotentiary for President Andrew Jackson's America, to the Kingdom of Spain, by Her Majesty Maria Christina de Borbon, Queen Consort, and Regent for her daughter Isabella II Queen of Spain, in 1837.
This magnificent sword has a fine tapering double-edged blade of flattened-hexagonal section, stamped 'Ano D 1837' and 'Fa Ntl Di Toledo' on the respective faces at the forte, finest mercurial gilt bronze hilt, cast with wonderful classical ornament in relief, including oval shell-guard decorated with the eagle perched astride the lightning bolts, flanked by classical figures, the quillon-block bears the letter 'F' for Ferdinand' enclosed within a laurel wreath, a pair of straight quillons, knuckle-guard and pommel, and integral grip all decorated en suite, in its blued iron scabbard with gilt-bronze suspensions mounts and drag 76.8 cm; 30 1/4 in blade
Provenance;
By tradition presented to General John H. Eaton US General J.H.Eaton, Envoy Extraordinary for President Andrew Jackson to Spain, who was married to the ward of President Andrew Jackson. It was presented by the Regent of Spain, Her Majesty Queen Maria Christina in 1837, when General Eaton was Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Spain (1836-1840). Maria Christina of Spain (when Regent for her daughter, the future Isabella II) was Maria Cristina de Borbon, Princesa de las Dos Sicilias; 27 April 1806 - 22 August 1878) she was Queen Consort of Spain (1829 to 1833) and Regent of Spain (1833 to 1840). This sword was thence passed after his death to his friend and physician Dr William B. Magruder; thence to his brother Colonel James A. Magruder, a personal friend of General Grant, who wore the sword during the Civil War and on full dress occasions including the funeral of President Lincoln.
Thence by descent and inheritance this sword passed to Mrs. Millicent Magruder Nichols, of Massachusetts, who gifted the sword to Dumbarton House in 1967. Dumbarton House, is a Federal period historic house museum in Washington, DC. The house serves as the headquarters for The National Society of Colonial Dames of America, a group of women whose ancestors contributed to America’s founding. Eaton originally became active in the Tennessee militia, and attained the rank of major. He developed a close friendship with Andrew Jackson, and served as an aide to Jackson during the Creek War and the War of 1812. Eaton took part in all Jackson's major campaigns. He supported Jackson's controversial decision in November 1814 to attack Pensacola in Spanish Florida, claiming that Spain had put herself in a belligerent position by allowing its territory to be occupied by British soldiers. Eaton participated in the Battle of New Orleans, and became a major proponent of Jackson's presidential candidacy following the war. He was later appointed governor of Florida by President Jackson
The First Carlist War was a civil war in Spain from 1833 to 1840, the first of three Carlist Wars. It was fought between two factions over the succession to the throne and the nature of the Spanish monarchy: the conservative and devolutionist supporters of the late king's brother, Carlos de Borbón (or Carlos V), became known as Carlists (carlistas), while the progressive and centralist supporters of the regent, Maria Christina, acting for Isabella II of Spain, were called Liberals (liberales), cristinos or isabelinos. It is considered by some authors the largest and most deadly civil war of the period.
The Carlist forces were split in three geographically distinct armies: Norte ('North'), Maestrazgo and Cataluña ('Catalonia'), which by and large operated independently from each other.
Aside from being a war of succession about the question who the rightful successor to king Ferdinand VII of Spain was, the Carlists’ goal was the return to a traditional monarchy, while the Liberals sought to defend the constitutional monarchy. Portugal, France and the United Kingdom supported the regency, and sent volunteer and even regular forces to confront the Carlist army.
This sword was previously on display {donated by the Magruder family} at Dumbarton House Historic Museum, a Federal Period house in Washington D.C. operated by The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America
As with every item we sell it will be accompanied with a Certificate of Authenticity, our unique lifetime guarantee read more
5795.00 GBP
An Extraordinary Original Conversation Piece. A Superb, Original, Late Queen Elizabeth Ist to King James Ist Period Miniature Pistol. Late 1500's, To The Turn of The 17th Century, Functioning Miniature Pistol
A pistol made in bronze, many hundreds of years ago, to fire off for the entertainment of the nobility and their children. Dark blue-black bronze age patination
An extraordinary little piece of rarely known history, from the earliest age of the black powder pistol. These intriguing miniature functioning pistols were called petronel, named after the original early name of matchlock and wheellock pistols, and very much of the period, from the Elizabethan to the Carolean age.
A petronel is a 16th and 17th century black powder muzzle-loading firearm, defined by Robert Barret (Theorike and Practike of Modern Warres, 1598) as a horsemans peece. It was the muzzle-loading firearm which developed on the one hand into the pistol and on the other into the carbine. The name (French petrinel or poitrinal) was given to the weapon either because it was fired with the butt resting against the chest (French poitrine, Latin pectus) or it was carried slung from a belt across the chest. Petronels are found with either matchlock or wheellock mechanisms.
The sclopus was the prototype of the petronel. The petronel is a compromise between the harquebus and the pistol. Early petronels date back to the end of the 14th century, with a crude buttstock. Generally the touch hole is on the right side, and fired by a separate slow match. Sometimes they had small hinged plate covers to protect the priming from moisture. By extension, the term petronel was also used to describe the type of light cavalry who employed the firearm. The petronel (cavalryman) was used to support the heavy cavalry such as demi-lancers and cuirassiers. The petronel was succeeded by a similarly armed cavalryman called the harquebusier.
We acquired a stunning little collection of miniature petronel, effectively toys, and they are the Zenith of original, and historical conversation pieces, especially when one considers they are around 450 year old working pistols. Naturally they were not made with the action mechanism of a full sized petronel, one just ignited them with a smouldering match cord, to create an instantaneous small bang and puff of smoke.
Please note, under no circumstances should one try to use them today. Each pistol is to be sold seperately. read more
200.00 GBP
A Fabulous, Rare, Original, Ancient Viking Wrought Iron Battle Hammer-Axe. Around 1100 to 1200 Years Old. Discovered During An Old Excavation at York in 1872. Typography Wheeler TypeIV From The Earliest Period of The Viking Incursions Into England
The renown and famed battle axe of a fearsome Viking warrior, however this is an exceptional and rare type, that incorporates a battle-hammer for smashing and crushing helmets and the like. It is also of heavy weight, ideal for two handed use, but also for single handed combat, provided the owner had considerable strength. This fabulous example has an extra large hammer, likely for use by such as the homicidal Viking Berserkers who had that vital extra strength and power associated with their iconic reputation at the time. Ironically even the Viking warriors, who were no shrinking violets, had huge respect and considerable fear of their combat allies, the Viking Berserkers {from where the term 'going berserk' stems from}. It is thought that they may have ingested some form of hallucinogenic plant immediately before combat, in order to remove all forms of hesitation and fear, thus, many regular Vikings feared they could be just as dangerous to them in combat, as their enemies.
We were delighted to acquire this superb historical piece, with a Berserker's bronze torc collar, together with a few other fine original Viking artefacts, however, we are offering them all separately.
Renown scholar Alcuin of York was back at Charlemagne's court by at least mid-792, writing a series of letters, regarding the brutal Viking raid at Lindisfarne, to Æthelred, to Hygbald, Bishop of Lindisfarne, and to Æthelhard, Archbishop of Canterbury in the succeeding months, dealing with the Viking attack on Lindisfarne in July 793. These letters and Alcuin's poem on the subject, "De clade Lindisfarnensis monasterii", provide the only significant contemporary account of these events. In his description of the Viking attack, he wrote: "Never before has such terror appeared in Britain. Behold the church of St Cuthbert, splattered with the blood of God's priests, robbed of its ornaments.
The Vikings began arriving en masse with armies intent on conquest. These armies were led by Ivar the Boneless, Halfdan, and Ubba, three of the sons of Ragnar Lodbrok, who had been killed by the Northumbrian King Ælla. The first English city to fall to the invaders was York, conquered in 866. The Northumbrians tried in vain to retake the city, and King Ælla was killed in the process. One-by-one, other Saxon realms capitulated until virtually all of north and eastern England was under the direct control of the Danes.
At this point, the strongest Anglo-Saxon kingdom was Wessex, and upon the death of its king Æthelred, Alfred succeeded the throne and took the fight to the Vikings in England, who had begun annexing huge chunks of Mercia, an ally of Wessex. Alfred’s initial campaign against the Vikings was, however, a complete failure. Anglo-Saxon military tactics and defenses were incapable of dealing with Viking raids, and Alfred was eventually forced into hiding in the Somerset Marshes. The Vikings in England had succeeded in opening up the whole of Anglo-Saxon England to their mercy.
In 878, King Alfred came out of hiding and met with the lords still loyal to his cause. During his time in the Somerset Marshes, he had carefully planned a major counter-offensive against the Danish Viking army under Guthrum. Alfred’s campaign was successful, and Guthrum’s army was beaten, first in the field at Edington and then starved into submission at Chippenham. Several years later, a boundary was established, dividing England in two, with one half under Anglo-Saxon control and the other half, known as the Danelaw, under the control of the Vikings.
King Alfred organized better defenses, as well as a powerful free-standing army better equipped to deal with Viking tactics. As a result, subsequent raids and a major invasion attempt were thwarted. The Vikings who were part of this invasion attempt either ended up settling in Danelaw or sailing to Normandy and settling there.
Beyer, Greg. "The Vikings in England (Or were they Danes?)" TheCollector.com, March 11, 2023, https://www.thecollector.com/danes-or-vikings-in-england/
Title page of a late manuscript of the Prose Edda written by Snorri Sturluson (13th century), showing the Ancient Norse Gods Odin, Heimdallr, Sleipnir, and other figures from Norse mythology, plus the legendary axe hammer.
The Tjängvide image stone with illustrations from Norse mythology
By Berig - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3682858
Showing axe hammers in combat and a Viking longship
7 1/2 inches across, cutting edge 2 3/4 inches, read more
1295.00 GBP
An Original Very Rare Neck Torc of a Legendary, Notorious & Terrifying Viking Mercenary Warrior, A Spectacular, Original & Ancient Viking 'Berserker's' Status Neck Adornment in Bronze. Even the Fiercesome Viking's Were in Fear Of Them. 1200 Years Old
This superb historical antiquity was acquired by us, with a companion piece, a Viking War Hammer- Axe, and, due to its heft, it was also likely used by a Viking Berserker, rather that a more regular Viking warrior. They are both {the axe and torc} around same age, circa 840 ad.
It was thanks to our last, very rare example, being noticed on our website by a Viking collector, who owned this fabulous similar torc, and a war hammer-axe and javelin spear, who then offered us his pieces.
This example however has a different twist copper bronze alloy design, and a naturally 'polished' patinated surface, our last example had an unpolished patinated surface, caused by differing geological conditions that it was conserved within, for the past 1000 years, that it was buried. There is normally ten to twenty years between pieces such as this appearing to us, but thanks to our improving worldwide presence we are delighted to be offered this beauty in such a remarkably short time frame since our last remarkable example.
If any former collector of original Viking warfare bronze adornments has similar pieces they may wish to sell, please consider contacting us, we are always incredibly keen to acquire additional rare Viking antiquities for our gallery’s collection. As the largest specialist dealers in Europe in military antiques and antiquities we are always keen to be contacted by current or former collectors.
A very large bronze Torc, in traditional Viking twisted wirework, heavy grade copper bronze with a fine emerald green patina. Berserkers were among the most feared of the Norse Viking bare-skinned warriors of their age, ingesting hallucinogens to induce a trance-like fury that carried them through battle.
It is believed they fought hand to hand, naked, and bearing nothing but their weapons, a shield and wearing only their status neck torc
The Lewis Chessmen, discovered in Scotland but believed to be Norwegian, date to the 12th century and include a number of pieces showing wild-eyed berserkers biting their shields.
In the fierce warrior culture of the Vikings, there was one type of elite, almost possessed, norse warrior that stood out for their battle fury and violence: the Viking Berserker.
They were careless in their fury, leading many historians to think that they used mind-altering substances to hype themselves up for battle. Berserkers may have felt as though nothing could hurt them. And the English phrase “berserk,” usually describing a frenzied state of anger, comes from these Norse warriors.
Viking berserkers existed as mercenaries for hundreds of years during the Scandinavian Middle Ages, traveling in bands to fight wherever they could get paid. But they also worshiped Odin and were associated with mythological shapeshifters.
And eventually, Norse berserkers became so fearsome that they were entirely outlawed by the 11th century
The Torslunda Plates, which were discovered in Sweden and date to the 6th century, likely depict how berserkers would have dressed in battle.
Most of what comprised the life of a Viking berserker is a mystery because their practices weren’t recorded in detail until the using mind-altered states in battle had been outlawed by the Christian church.
At this time, Christian writers on a mission to condemn any sort of pagan traditions often gave biased, altered accounts.
We do know that berserkers were inhabitants of Scandinavia. It’s written that they guarded Norway’s king Harald I Fairhair as he reigned from 872 to 930 A.D.
They also fought for other kings and royal causes. Archaeological findings from the time when a Viking berserker would have reigned supreme show that they were among elite warriors who were wild and reckless when fighting battles.
A detail of one of the 6th-century Torslunda Plates found in Sweden. It is believed to depict Odin wearing a horned helmet and a berserker wearing the mask of either a wolf or bear.
According to Anatoly Liberman in Berserks in History and Legend, the berserkers roared and otherwise made a lot of noise when in battle. One artistic depiction of the berserkers found in Tissø, West Zealand, showed them wearing a horned helmet.
The word “berserker” itself is derived from the Old Norse serkr, meaning “shirt,” and ber, the word for “bear,” suggesting that a Viking berserker would have worn the hide of a bear, or possibly wolves and wild boars, to battle.
But, rather than wearing the skins animals, the stories told of the Norse warriors who would be so enraged for war that they would literally become wolves and bears to win the battles before them.
In the National Museum of Denmark is the Golden Horn
Imagery of berserkers often depicted them semi-nude, like on this 5th-century golden horn discovered in Møgeltønder, Denmark with naked berserkers wearing neck torcs
Berserkers were originally thought to be named after a hero in Norse mythology who fought without any protective gear or “bare skinned.”
“The nakedness of the berserkers was in itself a good psychological weapon, because such men were naturally feared, when they showed such disregard for their own personal safety,” according to the National Museum of Denmark.
“The naked body may have symbolized invulnerability and was perhaps displayed to honour a war god. The Berserkers were thus dedicating their lives and bodies to the battle.”
Although this imagery is fascinating, experts now think that the term comes from wearing bear skins instead of “bare skin”. So, it’s likely that they got their name from wearing animal skin in battle.
Artistic depictions of a Viking Berserker showed Norse warriors wearing the skins of animals in battle. They may have felt like wearing the skins of perceived wild animals like wolves and bears helped increase their strength.
They might have also thought that it helped them channel the aggression and brutality that hunting animals have when going after their prey.
In 872 AD, Thórbiörn Hornklofi described how Norse warriors that were bear-like and wolf-like fought for King Harald Fairhair of Norway. Nearly a thousand years later, in 1870, four cast-bronze dies depicting Berserkers were discovered by Anders Petter Nilsson and Erik Gustaf Pettersson in Öland, Sweden.
Every single item from The Lanes Armoury is accompanied by our unique Certificate of Authenticity. Part of our continued dedication to maintain the standards forged by us over the past 100 years of trading read more
1295.00 GBP
A Very Good & Most Rare Viking Period Javelin Spear, A 'Frakka' Head, ᚠᚱᛅᚴᚴᛅ. During the War Between The Aesir & The Vanir, Odin Threw A Javelin Into The Vanir Host. Circa 900 AD.
Just arrived with a bronze copper alloy Viking Berserker's neck torc and a substantial war hammer-axe. possibly all from a grave of a Viking Berserker uncovered in the 1870's.
Medially ridged leaf shaped blade, with a long tapering spiked tang. Although not as glamorous as the sword, the spear was in every sense the definitive weapon of the Viking Age and used as the primary weapon of combat by almost every warrior. This form of long throwing javelin spear has an iron socket spike at the base, that in order to create a javelin, its bottom spike would be driven into a suitable haft by around 4.5 inches, up to the end of the socket, and this would thus create a most devastating long distance throwing weapon of warfare.
Decorated spearheads inlaid with precious metals prove that in the Viking Age spears were not seen as the poor man's choice and one has only to look at the representations of warriors from the illuminated manuscripts of the era to quickly come to the conclusion that the use of the spear was ubiquitous. Swords are considered a most valuable historical find, as is a same era spear, however, a similar condition surviving Viking era sword could cost today well over 18,000 pounds, so the cost of this large spear by comparison is very good value indeed.
A fine example of a 10th century spear that can be found in England, that came from Viking invaders, who used such spears from Eastern Europe, all Scandinavia, Northern Europe, Central Europe and Britain. Many of the Anglo-Saxon phrases used to describe both battle and warrior help to underline the importance of the spear. In Voluspo (from the Norse Poetic Edda) line 24 onwards -we read :
Vápnum sínum skal-a maðr velli á
feti ganga framar,
því at óvíst er at vita,
nær verðr á vegum úti geirs of þörf guma
let fly a spear, hurled it over the host;
that was still the first war in the world,
the palisade surrounding the Aesir's stronghold was breached
by the Vanir battle-magic, as they strode the plain.
During the War between the Aesir and the Vanir, Odinn threw a javelin into the Vanir host to signal the commencement of hostilities. The practice of symbolically throwing a spear into the enemy ranks at the start of a battle was sometimes used in historic clashes, to seek Odinn’s blessing.
17.5 inches long overall. Part of an original medieval collection we have just acquired, of Viking and early British relics of warfare from ancient battle sites recovered up to 220 years ago. Almost every iron weapon that has survived today from this era is now in a fully russetted condition, as is this one, because only the later swords of kings, that have been preserved in national or Royal collections, are today still in a good state and condition, but due to rarity no Viking swords remain that are still in a good surface condition. read more
1175.00 GBP
A Scarce Victorian 1895 Pattern British Infantry Officer's Sword, With Field Service Scabbard. Used At The Battle of Omdurman, Through WW1 & Into WW2. Reports From Its Use, The 1895 'New Pattern' Were Very Positive In Its Use In Combat At Omdurman
This infantry officer's sword, of regulation pattern, with its Field Service leather covered wooden scabbard, was used in combat service in the The Battle of Omdurman. Then continually, in the following 20th century, in the two world wars. It is the rarest pattern of its type of infantry officer's sword, that was made in 1895 for just two years before the pattern was slightly altered at the half basket. The 1895 had a sharp edge in the inner bowl that used to wear when it rubbed against the officer's uniforms, this was changed by creating a small curl at that inner edge in 1897, and the pattern then titled the 1897 regulation pattern
Omdurman was fought on September 2, 1898, and was a decisive victory for the Anglo-Egyptian forces led by General Kitchener against the Sudanese Mahdist army commanded by the Khalifa Abdallahi ibn Muhammad.
This battle marked the culmination of the Anglo-Egyptian reconquest of Sudan and effectively ended the Mahdist state.
The blade is straight and symmetrical in shape about both its longitudinal axes. The thick blade has a deep central fuller on each side and is rounded on both its edge and back towards the hilt, giving a “dumbbell” or “girder” cross section. Through a gradual transition, the blade becomes double edged towards the tip, and the last 17 inches were sharpened when on active service. The blade ends in a sharp spear point.
The guard is a three-quarter basket of pressed, plated steel. It is decorated with a pierced scroll-work pattern and had the royal cypher of the reigning monarch set over the lower knuckle bow. In this case it is VR for Queen Victoria.
The 1895 regulation pattern Infantry officer's sword was slightly improved after two years with a small rim fold in the half basket in 1897, and has thus remained unchanged to the present day.
By the time of its introduction, the sword was of somewhat limited use on the battlefield against rapid-firing rifles, machine guns and long-range artillery. However, the new sword was regarded, when needed, as a very effective fighting weapon. Reports from the Sudan, where this sword was used in close-quarters fighting, during the Reconquest of the Sudan 1896-99, were highly positive.
Field Marshal Montgomery advanced into battle with his 1897 Pattern drawn during a counter offensive in the First World War. The actual sword he carried is exhibited in the Imperial War Museum, London.
One of the famous British officer's of WW2, who was a devoted exponent of hand to hand sword combat, using his sword in battle, was infantry officer 'Mad' Jack Churchill.
After fighting at Dunkirk, he volunteered for the Commandos. On one occasion, a general who had commented on his weaponry, Churchill is said to have replied "Any officer who goes into action without his sword is improperly dressed."
Very bright polish with traces of old polished out light pitting throughout. Small leather chape lacking from the base of the scabbard read more
475.00 GBP
A Fabulous Quality Crimean War Cavalry Officer's Pistol of Carbine Bore, Damascus Barrel with Paget Style Captive Ramrod. Near Identical to the Pistol of Colonel John Yorke, 1st Royal Regt of Dragoons,.
Part of superb Crimean War period collectables we have just acquired. Beautifully scroll engraved lock and mounts, in superb condition for age, with Damascus twist barrel with hook breech and barrel slide, 'Paget' captive ramrod, juglans regia walnut stock with micro chequering and silver escutcheon. Sliding safety to lock. Dolphin percussion hammer. Excellent tight and crisp action.
Photo in the gallery of a near identical pistol, also of carbine bore, showing all the same features as this pistol, such as sliding safety, hook breech Damascus barrel retained with barrel slides, fine walnut stock with micro chequring and paget swivel ramrod. The pistol of Colonel John Yorke, 1st Royal Regt of Dragoons, wounded at Balaklava, supporting the Light Brigade in the Valley of Death. The pistol in the household Cavalry Museum.
This cavalry officer's pistol is absolutely typical of the type carried by some officer's that took part in the charge, and may very well have been used by one.
The Charge of the Light Brigade {Aka, Into the Valley of Death} was a world famous military action undertaken by British light cavalry against Russian forces during the Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War, resulting in many casualties to the cavalry. On 25 October 1854, the Light Brigade, led by Lord Cardigan, mounted a frontal assault against a Russian artillery battery which was well prepared with excellent fields of defensive fire. The charge was the result of a misunderstood order from the commander in chief, Lord Raglan, who had intended the Light Brigade to attack a different objective for which light cavalry was better suited, to prevent the Russians from removing captured guns from overrun Turkish positions. The Light Brigade made its charge under withering direct fire and reached its target, scattered some of the gunners but was forced to retreat immediately.
The events were the subject of Alfred, Lord Tennyson's narrative poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade" (1854), published six weeks after the event. Its lines emphasise the valour of the cavalry in carrying out their orders regardless of the risk. Responsibility for the miscommunication has remained controversial, as the order was vague and Captain Louis Nolan, who delivered the written orders with some verbal interpretation, was killed in the first minute of the assault.
Out of interest, around 30 years ago we owned the very foul weather sabretache of Captain Nolan that he used, and carried, that very order to charge the Russian guns into the Valley of Death. The sabretache, was the one upon which he fell, when he perished when fatally wounded within sixty seconds of the commencement of charge. It came to us through the family ownership and had previously been on display in two museums until the mid 20th century.
The charge;
The Light Brigade set off down the valley with Cardigan in front, leading the charge on his horse Ronald. Almost at once, Nolan rushed across the front, passing in front of Cardigan. It may be that he realised that the charge was aimed at the wrong target and was attempting to stop or turn the brigade, but he was killed by an artillery shell and the cavalry continued on its course. Captain Godfrey Morgan was close by:
The first shell burst in the air about 100 yards in front of us. The next one dropped in front of Nolan's horse and exploded on touching the ground. He uttered a wild yell as his horse turned round, and, with his arms extended, the reins dropped on the animal's neck, he trotted towards us, but in a few yards dropped dead off his horse. I do not imagine that anybody except those in the front line of the 17th Lancers saw what had happened.
We went on. When we got about two or three hundred yards the battery of the Russian Horse Artillery opened fire. I do not recollect hearing a word from anybody as we gradually broke from a trot to a canter, though the noise of the striking of men and horses by grape and round shot was deafening, while the dust and gravel struck up by the round shot that fell short was almost blinding, and irritated my horse so that I could scarcely hold him at all. But as we came nearer I could see plainly enough, especially when I was about a hundred yards from the guns. I appeared to be riding straight on to the muzzle of one of the guns, and I distinctly saw the gunner apply his fuse. I shut my eyes then, for I thought that settled the question as far as I was concerned. But the shot just missed me and struck the man on my right full in the chest.
In another minute I was on the gun and the leading Russian's grey horse, shot, I suppose, with a pistol by somebody on my right, fell across my horse, dragging it over with him and pinning me in between the gun and himself. A Russian gunner on foot at once covered me with his carbine. He was just within reach of my sword, and I struck him across his neck. The blow did not do much harm, but it disconcerted his aim. At the same time a mounted gunner struck my horse on the forehead with his sabre. Spurring "Sir Briggs," he half jumped, half blundered, over the fallen horses, and then for a short time bolted with me. I only remember finding myself alone among the Russians trying to get out as best I could. This, by some chance, I did, in spite of the attempts of the Russians to cut me down.
The Light Brigade faced withering fire from three sides which devastated their force on the ride, yet they were able to engage the Russian forces at the end of the valley and force them back from the redoubt. Nonetheless, they had suffered heavy casualties and were soon forced to retire. The surviving Russian artillerymen returned to their guns and opened fire with grapeshot and canister shot, indiscriminately at the mêlée of friend and foe before them read more
2495.00 GBP
A Fabulous, Extraordinarily Beautiful and Exquisite Quality Pure Koftgari Gold Inlaid Gentleman’s Walking Stick ‘Dandy Cane’ Inlaid With Incredibly Skillful Craftmanship
One of the most beautiful and finest quality examples we have ever seen. A steel handle inlaid with amazing two colour Koftgari goldwork of simply stunning quality. Koftgari is the Indian form of damascening which closely resembles the damascening found in Persia and Syria.
The inlay process begins after the piece is moulded and fully formed. The intended design is engraved into the base metal and fine gold or silver wire is then hammered into the grooves.
The base metal is always a hard metal, either steel, iron or bronze, and the inlay a soft metal, either gold or silver. This combination prevents the base from deforming when the wire inlay is hammered into the surface and results in the inlaid areas being well defined and of sharp appearance.
Swords, shield and armour were often decorated in koftgari work and domestic items such as boxes and betel containers, were also made. Every other portrait of a Georgian, Victorian, or Edwardian gentleman, shows some nattily dressed fellow with a walking stick pegged jauntily into the ground or a slim baton negligently tucked under the elbow. The dress cane was the quintessential mark of the dandy for three centuries, part fashion accessory, part aid to communication, part weapon, and of course, a walking aid. A dandy, historically, is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance, refined language, and leisurely hobbies, pursued with the appearance of nonchalance in a cult of self. A dandy could be a self-made man who strove to imitate an aristocratic lifestyle despite coming from a middle-class background, especially in late 18th- and early 19th-century Britain.
Previous manifestations of the petit-maître (French for "small master") and the Muscadin have been noted by John C. Prevost, but the modern practice of dandyism first appeared in the revolutionary 1790s, both in London and in Paris. The dandy cultivated cynical reserve, yet to such extremes that novelist George Meredith, himself no dandy, once defined cynicism as "intellectual dandyism". Some took a more benign view; Thomas Carlyle wrote in Sartor Resartus that a dandy was no more than "a clothes-wearing man". Honoré de Balzac introduced the perfectly worldly and unmoved Henri de Marsay in La fille aux yeux d'or (1835), a part of La Comédie Humaine, who fulfils at first the model of a perfect dandy, until an obsessive love-pursuit unravels him in passionate and murderous jealousy.
Charles Baudelaire defined the dandy, in the later "metaphysical" phase of dandyism, as one who elevates æsthetics to a living religion, that the dandy's mere existence reproaches the responsible citizen of the middle class: "Dandyism in certain respects comes close to spirituality and to stoicism" and "These beings have no other status, but that of cultivating the idea of beauty in their own persons, of satisfying their passions, of feeling and thinking …. Dandyism is a form of Romanticism. Contrary to what many thoughtless people seem to believe, dandyism is not even an excessive delight in clothes and material elegance. For the perfect dandy, these things are no more than the symbol of the aristocratic superiority of mind."
The linkage of clothing with political protest had become a particularly English characteristic during the 18th century. Given these connotations, dandyism can be seen as a political protest against the levelling effect of egalitarian principles, often including nostalgic adherence to feudal or pre-industrial values, such as the ideals of "the perfect gentleman" or "the autonomous aristocrat". Paradoxically, the dandy required an audience, as Susann Schmid observed in examining the "successfully marketed lives" of Oscar Wilde and Lord Byron, who exemplify the dandy's roles in the public sphere, both as writers and as personae providing sources of gossip and scandal. Nigel Rodgers in The Dandy: Peacock or Enigma? Questions Wilde's status as a genuine dandy, seeing him as someone who only assumed a dandified stance in passing, not a man dedicated to the exacting ideals of dandyism. read more
1295.00 GBP
A Superb 1200b.c. Bronze Age Long Dagger From the So-Called Greek 'Heroic Era' Of The Seige of Troy, and The Trojan War, Historically Famed with the Legendary Achilles and Hector
Around 3200 years old
A bronze flanged dagger with integrally preserved bifurcated hilt, triangular blade, the open handle intended to accept organic grip plates of wood or horn bifurcated pommel. Approx 12" long. Fine condition
This is a most handsome ancient bronze long bladed dagger, with a tapering hilt and crescent pommel form, from one of the most fascinating eras in ancient world history, the era of the so called Trojan Wars. The recessed grip panels within the hilt would likely be for slabs of ivory or horn. The ancient Greeks believed the Trojan War was a historical event that had taken place in the 13th or 12th century BC, and believed that Troy was located in modern day Turkey near the Dardanelles. In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans (Greeks) after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, the king of Sparta. The war is among the most important events in Greek mythology and was narrated in many works of Greek literature, including Homer's Iliad and the Odyssey . "The Iliad" relates a part of the last year of the siege of Troy, while the Odyssey describes the journey home of Odysseus, one of the Achaean leaders. Other parts of the war were told in a cycle of epic poems, which has only survived in fragments. Episodes from the war provided material for Greek tragedy and other works of Greek literature, and for Roman poets such as Virgil and Ovid.
The war originated from a quarrel between the goddesses Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite, after Eris, the goddess of strife and discord, gave them a golden apple, sometimes known as the Apple of Discord, marked "for the fairest". Zeus sent the goddesses to Paris, who judged that Aphrodite, as the "fairest", should receive the apple. In exchange, Aphrodite made Helen, the most beautiful of all women and wife of Menelaus, fall in love with Paris, who took her to Troy. Agamemnon, king of Mycenae and the brother of Helen's husband Menelaus, led an expedition of Achaean troops to Troy and besieged the city for ten years due to Paris' insult. After the deaths of many heroes, including the Achaeans Achilles and Ajax, and the Trojans Hector and Paris, the city fell to the ruse of the Trojan Horse. The Achaeans slaughtered the Trojans (except for some of the women and children whom they kept or sold as slaves) and desecrated the temples, thus earning the gods' wrath. Few of the Achaeans returned safely to their homes and many founded colonies in distant shores. The Romans later traced their origin to Aeneas, one of the Trojans, who was said to have led the surviving Trojans to modern day Italy.
This dagger comes from that that great historical period, from the time of the birth of known recorded history, and the formation of great empires, the cradle of civilization, known as The Mycenaean Age, of 1600 BC to 1100 BC. Known as the Bronze Age, it started even centuries before the time of Herodotus, who was known throughout the world as the father of history. Mycenae is an archaeological site in Greece from which the name Mycenaean Age is derived. The Mycenae site is located in the Peloponnese of Southern Greece. The remains of a Mycenaean palace were found at this site, accounting for its importance. Other notable sites during the Mycenaean Age include Athens, Thebes, Pylos and Tiryns.
According to Homer, the Mycenaean civilization is dedicated to King Agamemnon who led the Greeks in the Trojan War. The palace found at Mycenae matches Homer's description of Agamemnon's residence. The amount and quality of possessions found at the graves at the site provide an insight to the affluence and prosperity of the Mycenaean civilization. Prior to the Mycenaean's ascendancy in Greece, the Minoan culture was dominant. However, the Mycenaeans defeated the Minoans, acquiring the city of Troy in the process. In the greatest collections of the bronze age there are swords and daggers exactly as this beautiful example. In the Metropolitan Museum of Art is the bronze sword of King Adad-nirari I, a unique example from the palace of one of the early kings of the period (14th-13th century BC) during which Assyria first began to play a prominent part in Mesopotamian history. Swords daggers and weapons from this era were made within the Persian bronze industry, which was also influenced by Mesopotamia. Luristan, near the western border of Persia, it is the source of many bronzes, such as this piece, that have been dated from 1500 to 500 BC and include chariot or harness fittings, rein rings, elaborate horse bits, and various decorative rings, as well as weapons, personal ornaments, different types of cult objects, and a number of household vessels.
A sword, found in the palace of Mallia and dated to the Middle Minoan period (2000-1600 BC), is an example of the extraordinary skill of the Cretan metalworker in casting bronze. The hilt of the sword is of gold-plated ivory and crystal. A dagger blade found in the Lasithi plain, dating about 1800 BC (Metropolitan Museum of Art), is the earliest known predecessor of ornamented dagger blades from Mycenae. It is engraved with two spirited scenes: a fight between two bulls and a man spearing a boar. Somewhat later (c. 1400 BC) are a series of splendid blades from mainland Greece, which must be attributed to Cretan craftsmen, with ornament in relief, incised, or inlaid with varicoloured metals, gold, silver, and niello. The most elaborate inlays--pictures of men hunting lions and of cats hunting birds--are on daggers from the shaft graves of Mycenae, Nilotic scenes showing Egyptian influence. The bronze was oxidized to a blackish-brown tint; the gold inlays were hammered in and polished and the details then engraved on them. The gold was in two colours, a deeper red being obtained by an admixture of copper; and there was a sparing use of neillo. The copper and gold most likely came from the early mine centres, in and around Mesopotamia, and the copper ingots exported to the Cretans for their master weapon makers. This dagger sword is in very nice condition with typical ancient patina encrustations . 36 cm long. Picture in the gallery of Achilles and Penthesella on the Plain of Troy, with Athena, Aphrodite and Eros. See a similar dagger in Muscarella, O.W., Bronze and Iron Ancient Near Eastern Artifacts in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1988, pp.286-287, with the gold pommel still preserved; see also parallels in Calmeyer, P., 'Datierbare bronzen aus Luristan und Kirmanshah' in Untersuchungen sur Assyriologie und vorderasiatischen Archaeologie, Berlin, 1969.
These flanged type of daggers with bifurcated hilts find parallels in ancient Persia, and are usually dated to the 11th century BC (Calmeyer, 1969, p.61, figs.60-61). Related examples from Hasanlu have a more pronounced splayed pommel and a square guard.
Formerly of the Abelita family collection, 1980-2015. read more
945.00 GBP