A SAXON MINERS GUILD AXE, LATE 18TH CENTURY

A SAXON MINERS GUILD AXE, LATE 18TH CENTURY with associated iron head pierced with a slipped circle, engraved bone sectional haft decorated over its full surface with differing scenes from miners' lives, the crossed swords of the Archmarshallship of the empire and the arms of Saxony at the top, and shoe-shaped base decorated with large flowers 66.0 cm; 26 in overall Processions involving miners are first recorded in Saxony around 1574 when the Elector August led a masquerade in the role of the god Mercury accompanied by miners with their tools and landscape. This formed part of a tournament celebrating the recent boom in silver mining that had been brought about by modern technology introduced by the Elector.