CEREMONIAL SWORD

German, ca. 1760/70.
Silver hilt, gilt, made of cast and forged parts. Spherical pommel, rivet head, knuckle guard ending in grip base, decorative grip hook with mark "I.A.R. 13" connected to the knuckle guard and the quillons by short bars, guard plate consisting of kidney-shaped halves. Solid grip. All parts of the hilt, opulently decorated. Double-edged blade, Solingen (L 77.3 cm), gilt etched decoration, star-shaped order with eagle underneath a crown (Prussia?), also includes ornaments.
L 92.4 cm.

A rare, finely-crafted ceremonial sword in very good condition, probably for a Prussian customer. In 1766, King Frederick II had banned the use of the popular - but more dangerous - blades with triangular cross-section, for officers' and ceremonial swords. Cf. Bernd A. Windsheimer: Me fecit Potzdam, altpreussische Blankwaffen, 2001, pp. 5/6, Ill.184.