Belle épée de parement damasquinée or, dans... - Lot 205 - Pierre Bergé & Associés

Belle épée de parement damasquinée or, dans le goût maniériste italien et peut-être inspirée par des dessins de Filippo Orsini de Mantoue vers 1554, XIXe siècle. A fine gold-damascened parade sword in the Italian Mannerist fashion, possibly inspired by the designs of Filippo Orsini of Mantova circa 1554, 19th century. With straight blade cut with a pair of long fullers, the ricasso recessed for the index finger, decorated on both sides of the forte with etched panels of foliage divided by a medial ridge running over the length of the blade, the ricasso etched on both sides with an architectural column contained within a strapwork cartouche, perhaps armorial (the Roman family Colonna), and the etched designs retaining traces of gilding, iron hilt of elaborate Mannerist design, in relief and damascened in gold throughout, involving a pair of vertically recurved quillons and a single forward arm-of-the-hilt each swelling towards ribbon-like voluted tips, ring-guard carrying a shaped oval at its centre, moulded globular pommel decorated with a series of raised cartouches and further voluted ornament, damascened with pairs of dolphins arranged formally within border ornament and small panels of delicate scrollwork, the inner face decorated with interlace, and the grip bound with boldly patterned copper and iron wire. L. overall: 100.6 cm - L. blade: 85.9 cm - W.: 17,5 cm. The hilt design is related to a series of Italian Mannerist designs by Filippo Orsini of Mantova. See BOCCIA, Lionello G. and COELHO, Eduardo T., Armi Bianche Italiane, 1975, pp. 368-9, ill. 356, 364.