Belle rapière à branches incrustées d'argent,... - Lot 200 - Pierre Bergé & Associés

Belle rapière à branches incrustées d'argent, Allemagne vers 1610-30. A fine German silver-encrusted swept-hilt rapier, circa 1610-30. With slender blade of flattened diamond section changing to flattened hexagonal section, both sides signed by the bladesmith CLEMENS STAM in stamped letters between a series of decorative marks within the narrow fuller at the forte, the ricasso struck with a series of marks arranged in pairs along both the inner and outer face, and stamped "Espadro" and "del Rey" respectively over the forward and rear edges, iron hilt formed with a rear quillon and an S-shaped knuckle-guard, inner guard of slender bars joined at its root to the forward arm and in a diagonal branch also linking the knuckle-guard to the rear arm, and the base of the inner guard filled with a pierced ogee-shaped plate, outer guard formed with a loop linking the knuckle-guard to the rear arm of the hilt, the outer extremity of each arm extending as an up-swept projecting bar with a small U-shaped bar and pierced plate between, faceted stoppershaped pommel with prominent button, and retaining the original grip of iron and silver wire woven in a relief chequered pattern with "Turks' heads", the principal elements of the hilt profusely encrusted with an elaborate design of silver scrolling flowering tendrils enriched with swagged putto masks, small flowerheads and ears of wheat, all in relief, punched and engraved, and all on a contrasting punched gilt ground. L. overall: 102.7 cm - L. blade: 87.5 cm - W.: 17.3 cm. Provenance: Richard Zschille, Christie, Manson & Woods, The Collection of Armour and Arms, etc of Herr Richard Zschille, of Grossenhain, January 25, 1897, p.25 No.124. Rudolf Lepke, Berlin, 21 March 1900, lot 72 (illustrated). Exhibited: The Chicago Worlds' Fair Exhibition, 1894. Literature: WEYERSBERG, Albert, Solinger Schwertschmiede des 16. und 17. Jahrhunderts und irhre Erzeugnisse..., 1926, page 44. A rapier with a hilt decorated in a very similar style and,