A RARE NORTH GERMAN ESTOC WITH FALSE-DAMASCENED HILT CIRCA 1550-70, PROBABLY BRUNSWICK

A RARE NORTH GERMAN ESTOC WITH FALSE-DAMASCENED HILT, CIRCA 1550-70, PROBABLY BRUNSWICK with long tapering blade of flattened-hexagonal section, stamped 'Valenca' and with the sacred trigram 'IHS' within a short fuller on the respective faces, rectangular ricasso struck with a cross mark and engraved with lines at the border on each face, iron hilt comprising a pair of straight flat quillons swelling to spatulate terminals, up-turned outer guard formed of a rounded plate, a pair of slender basal arms (one detached at one end), joined to a loop on the inside, the latter joined to the thumb-ring by a pair of slender bars, characteristic cushion-shaped pommel, with much early silver false-damascened finish, and wooden grip retaining its fishskin covering 107.0 cm; 42 1/8 in blade A number of military rapiers and estocs with hilts of this form are associated with the armoury of the Dukes of Brunswick, sold Sotheby's Hanover October 2005, lot numbers 218, 220 and 221. Another, from the same collection, was exhibited at the Tower of London 1952, cat. No. 67. The use of silver false damascene is notably rare. The hilt conforms to Norman type 12.