A Stunning, Moghul Indo Persian Khanjar Dagger, With Carved Jade, Inlaid with Cabochon Turquoise Handle, With 'Tiger Tooth', Wootz Steel, Double Fullered And Ribbed, Double Edged Blade

With wootz Damascus blade. An 18th to 19th century dagger khanjar, with a curved double edged watered wootz blade 24cms long, cut with a pair of deep fullers with medial ridge, mounted with a fine one piece jade hilt engraved and incised overall with foliage and inlaid with cabochon turquoise at the corners and on the pommel. The Mughal (or Moghul) Empire was an early-modern empire in South Asia. For some two centuries, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to the highlands of present-day Assam and Bangladesh in the east, and the uplands of the Deccan plateau in South India.

The Mughal empire is conventionally said to have been founded in 1526 by Babur, a warrior chieftain from what today is Uzbekistan, who employed aid from the neighboring Safavid and Ottoman empires to defeat the Sultan of Delhi, Ibrahim Lodhi, in the First Battle of Panipat, and to sweep down the plains of Upper India. The Mughal imperial structure, however, is sometimes dated to 1600, to the rule of Babur's grandson, Akbar. This imperial structure lasted until 1720, until shortly after the death of the last major emperor, Aurengzeb, during whose reign the empire also achieved its maximum geographical extent. Reduced subsequently, especially during the East India Company rule in India, to the region in and around Old Delhi, the empire was formally dissolved by the British Raj after the Indian Rebellion of 1857.

Although the Mughal empire was created and sustained by military warfare,it did not vigorously suppress the cultures and peoples it came to rule, but rather equalized and placated them through new administrative practices, and diverse ruling elites, leading to more efficient, centralised, and standarized rule.The base of the empire's collective wealth was agricultural taxes, instituted by the third Mughal emperor, Akbar. These taxes, which amounted to well over half the output of a peasant cultivator, were paid in the well-regulated silver currency, and caused peasants and artisans to enter larger markets.

The relative peace maintained by the empire during much of the 17th century was a factor in India's economic expansion.Burgeoning European presence in the Indian ocean, and its increasing demand for Indian raw- and finished products, created still greater wealth in the Mughal courts. There was more conspicuous consumption among the Mughal elite, resulting in greater patronage of painting, literary forms, textiles, and architecture, especially during the reign of Shah Jahan. The Taj Mahal, which is described as, "The jewel of Muslim art in India, and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage.  read more

Code: 22507

An Absolutely Stunning & Beautiful Carved Sea Ivory Royal Hilted Keris From Palembang, Sumatra 18th Century, Meteorite Blade. A Near Pair To An Example In The Royal Collection Presented To King George IVth in 1817, When He Was The Prince Regent

Masterpiece 18th-19th c. Palembang, Sumatra, Indonesia.
A Kris (keris) dagger with a hilt in very finely carved sea ivory. This is a wonderful example of a type embraced throughout Indonesia and Malaysia known for its distinct shape that blends sharp edges, planes sometimes covered with magnificent floral motifs and scrollwork as we see in this example and at the same time dramatic curves. This example also boasts some shiny sections that are characteristic of the type in Palembang, once the capital of the Srivijaya Empire, a Hindu-Buddhist kingdom that flourished from the 7th to the 12th century and stretched from Sumatra to the Kra Isthmus in southern Thailand.

Ivory handle depicts a stylised, squatting human figure known as Cipaduik with one arm folded across the chest, diamond-shaped eyes and a jutting nose that dominates the mouthless face. Cipaduik features in many Minangkabau stories as a man who likes to play tricks on people.

See in the gallery a near pair to ours in the British Royal Collection, presented in 1817 to the Prince Regent.
A traditional dagger (kris) and sheath; of the highest royal rank, the straight two-edged blade of watered steel with a gold ('Mendok') attaching it to the sea ivory hilt heavily carved in as a humanoid 'Jawa demam' figure; the gold 'ganja' at blade shoulder; with a gilt wood scabbard with a wooden upper end.
Provenance
Presented to George IV when Prince Regent by Stamford Raffles, 10 May 1817. Recorded in the North Corridor Inventory of Windsor Castle with the note 'A Malayan kris - the manufacture of Sumatra'. Raffles served as Lieutenant-Governor of Java from 1811-1816 and presented the Prince Regent with several kris on his return to England.  read more

Code: 24725

A Most Rare Antique 17th Century Sinhalese Kastane Sword, Used as A Naval Officer's Hangar Acquired by the Early 17th Century Maritime Traders to Ceylon

A most interesting and fine kastane, with the carved wood “Simha” lion head pommel a recurved knuckleguard and two quillon also with a water beast, known as a Makara, head pommel and counter quillon with additional Makara

The hilt is delicately inlaid with brass inlays as is the blade. A typical 17th century sword from ancient Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) which was in ancient times known as the Kingdom of Lions (Sinhaladwipa) often termed Sinhala. The term Sinha is lion in Hindu. These lion-heads in grotesque form are of course representing this heritage. The makara represents the Hindu water beast (fish/crocodile) ridden by Varuna. Pommel with small jaw section lacking.The kastane is the national sword of Sri Lanka. It typically has a short curved single-edged blade, double-edged at the point. The hilt comprises a knuckle-guard and down-turned quillons, each terminating in a dragon's head. The swords were intended to serve as badges of rank; the quality of ornamentation depending on the status of the wearer.

The establishment of European trading contacts with South Asia by the late 16th and early 17th century led to these swords becoming fashionable dress accessories among European gentlemen and naval officer's of all hues, Be they Royal Naval, East India Co. Naval, or Privateers.

A kastane can be seen in an equestrian portrait of Colonel Alexander Popham at Littlecote House in the care of the Royal Armouries Collection (I.315). They were chosen by Naval officer's and indeed pirates, as their shape form and size was absolutely ideal for maritime close combat service.

Although also used on land, the cutlass is best known as the maritime weapon of choice. A naval side-arm, its popularity was likely because it was not only robust enough to hack through heavy ropes, canvas, and wood, but short enough to use in relatively close quarters, such as during boarding actions, in the rigging, or below decks. Another advantage to the cutlass was its simplicity of use. Employing it effectively required less technical skill than that required to master a rapier or light small sword, and it was more effective as a close-combat weapon than a full-sized sword would be on a cramped ship.

Cutlasses are famous for being used by pirates, and privateers although there is no reason to believe that Caribbean buccaneers invented them, as has occasionally been claimed. However, the subsequent use of cutlasses by pirates is well documented in contemporary sources, notably by the pirate crews of William Fly, William Kidd, and Stede Bonnet. French historian Alexandre Exquemelin reports the buccaneer François l'Ollonais using a cutlass/cuttoe as early as 1667. Pirates used these weapons for intimidation as much as for combat, often needing no more than to grip their hilts to induce a crew to surrender, or beating captives with the flat of the blade to force their compliance or responsiveness to interrogation.  read more

Code: 21976

A 1st Edition, Ist Impression Charles Dickens Bleak House Printed 1853 Leather Bound in Light Brown Calf and Black Title With Gilding & Marbled End Boards

Bradbury & Evans, first edition, with Ist impression imperfections and plates as called for ( pages with expected age foxing/staining), leather bound with marbled end boards.

A chance to own a rare first edition, and Ist Impression, of one of the great classics of English literature. Printed and first read before the Crimean War in Russia, and before the 'Charge of the Light Brigade' became infamous in British military history.
Original printing imperfections and flaws are detailed in Walter E. Smith and his wonderful work 'Charles Dickens in the Original Cloth'. Smith's comprehensive bibliography of each of Dickens's works enabled all to describe the flaws in the first impression.
The first edition of Bleak House is highly desirable. We have encountered a fair number of examples over the past 50 to around 100 years, in both the original cloth and bound in various bindings. Most of these bindings date from near the time of publication and most are before around 1880.

The edition points required for the first impression of the first edition are fairly definitive. The edition points are as follows to qualify as the 1st impression:

1) "elgble" misspelling for "eligible" on pp.19 line 6

2) "chair" misspelling for "hair" on pp.209 line 23

3) "counsinship" misspelling for "cousinship" on pp.275 line 22

There are also another issue present, in only a few of the first impression copies, namely pp.230 with the "2" in the page number complete. This copy has that scarce point

Basic premise: Jarndyce vs Jarndyce is a suit which has being going through the Court of Chancery for decades and decades and decades. Chancery is this old court to do with contested wills which has long since been reformed because it was impossibly incompetent and once you were in Chancery there was no getting out of Chancery and all costs are taken from the estates being contested, meaning that the Court benefited from drawing out proceedings. The young wards of Jarndyce are Richard Carstone and Ada Clare, young cousins. They are sent to live with their cousin Mr John Jarndyce and with them goes the orphan Esther Summerson, an orphan with a mysterious past. Mr Jarndyce advises them all to forget the suit, particularly as Richard and Ada fall in love, yet Richard struggles to settle to any profession with the suit still undecided. Simultaneous to this, the sinster lawyer Mr Tulkinghorn serves Sir Leicester Dedlock, Baronet and his wife Lady Dedlock, a woman desperately bored with her life. She also has a claim in the Jarndyce suit and faints dead away when Mr Tulkinghorn shows her a piece of legal writing written in a strangely familiar hand … cue much to-ing and fro-ing and the occasional untimely death. Nobody does tragic death scenes quite like Dickens, you end up really feeling the tragedy. Subtle he is not. Bleak House shows us a world where kindness is hard to find. Mr John Jarndyce tries to protect those he loves, but even he cannot prevent them being drawn in to the fogs of London. As usual, Dickens preaches against the workhouses and the ineffectiveness of charity, Mr Jarndyce is the sole positive charitable figure in the novel, his is a doctrine of love. It is the day to day cruelties that people inflict on each other that grind people down. The unrelenting legal profession, the way in which young men can be educated about poetry but not in how to work, that children can run wild on the streets and never really know that they are loved, this is a world where a man who has lost everything can die and barely be missed. Esther makes it clear that she feels herself to have been saved by the love of those around her – but Ada’s love could not save Richard, nor could Sir Leicester’s love save his Lady. All they can do is keep loving them still, no matter what the world may say. The bleakness of the title goes much deeper than the name of the house. 8.75 inches x 6 inches x 2 inches.  read more

Code: 25198

A Stunningly Bound Complete 25 Volume Set Of Sir Walter Scott’s Waverley Novels. Published in Edinburgh in 1871

These bound volumes would elegantly grace any bookcase, library or study. They are a truly truly beautiful collection.

Scott, Sir Walter - Waverley Novels; the Centenary
Edition, 25 vols. pictorial engraved titles, num. plates and some other illus.; contemp fine calf leather and marbled boards, gilt decorated panelled spines with green leather and tan leather Published in Edinburgh, 1871

The Waverley Novels are a long series of novels by Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832). For nearly a century, they were among the most popular and widely read novels in Europe.
Because Scott did not publicly acknowledge authorship until 1827, the series takes its name from Waverley, the first novel of the series, released in 1814. The later books bore the words "by the author of Waverley" on their title pages.
The Tales of my Landlord sub-series was not advertised as "by the author of Waverley" and thus is not always included as part of the Waverley Novels series.

Scott’s early Waverley books deal with several different phases of Scottish history and were noted for their characterizations of ordinary people and their use of regional Scottish dialect. These novels often concern the clash between heroic traditions of the past and practical visions of the future. Waverley, for example, treats the tensions between the Jacobites and the Hanoverians in the mid-18th century, while The Heart of Midlothian addresses the social conflict following the Porteous Riots of 1736 over the execution of a smuggler. Scott set his other novels in historical periods dating to the Middle Ages in locales such as England, France, Palestine, and the Orkney Islands.


Chronological order, by settingedit
1097: Count Robert of Paris
1187–94: The Betrothed, The Talisman, Ivanhoe (3)
1307: Castle Dangerous
1396: The Fair Maid of Perth
1468–77: Quentin Durward, Anne of Geierstein (2)
1547–75: The Monastery, The Siege of Malta, The Abbot, Kenilworth (4)
1616–18: The Fortunes of Nigel
1644–89: A Legend of Montrose, Woodstock, Peveril of the Peak, The Tale of Old Mortality, The Pirate (5)
1700–99: The Black Dwarf, The Bride of Lammermoor, Rob Roy, Heart of Midlothian, Waverley, Guy Mannering, Redgauntlet, The Antiquary (8)
19th century: St. Ronan's Well

They are beautiful bindings in super condition. We have only ever seen the Zaehnsdorf bindings as equal to or possibly better than these.  read more

Code: 25199

A Jolly Attractive, Edo Style Samurai Showa Period O-Tanto With Unokubi-Zukuri & Hi Blade, & Antique Edo Period Tsuka With Original Tsukaito, Fuchi Kashira & Menuki Over Samegawa {Giant Ray Skin}

A very impressive tanto with an exceptionally wide, barbarian {not tamehagane} steel, unokubi-zukuri with hi blade form, and it is remarkably sharp. With a very attractive black lacquer saya, bound with black sageo, and mounted with original antique, Edo period fuchi kashira and menuki tsuka fittings, bound with original Edo tsukaito, over samegawa {giant rayskin} ,and overall in nice order. Very inexpensive due to its later age non antique blade.

Good Edo period {1600 to 1863} Higo school matching fuchi kashira, on a traditional, Higo course tettsu ground, onlaid with finely detailed takebori crayfish in silver. Original Edo blue-black tuska-ito bound over circular menuki also on a tettsu ground with takebori silver aoi plants mounted on old samegawa {giant rayskin}. Tettsu ground tsuba with takebori sinchu flowering plants onlaid.

This really is a very impressive o-tanto {large tanto} with a very wide and substantial blade, and thus it is a most fine looking sword, that for all intents and purposes 'appears' to be an entirely original, early, Shinto period example {circa 1700's} yet it is only partially old Shinto {the tsuka}. If it was, as it appears to be, it would normally be many thousands of pounds.

Ideal for someone seeking a very attractive and most impressive piece, but on a limited budget.  read more

Code: 25858

1st Edition James Bond, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, by Ian Fleming. Part of The ‘Blofeld’ Sequence. The Most Infamous Villain In The James Bond Canon. Written By Fleming at ‘Goldeneye’ Whilst Sean Connery Was Filming His First Bond, “Dr. No” Nearby

Part of another small collection of James Bond First Editions that just arrived at the weekend, including James Bond’s Ist outing and rarest of them all, a stunning ‘Casino Royale’ 1st Edition, 1st impression. It sold within 10 minutes of going on sale!


1st Edition, 1st impression. Published by London: Jonathan Cape. 1963 original cover. (1963) On Her Majesty's Secret Service is the tenth novel in Ian Fleming's James Bond series, first published in the UK by Jonathan Cape on 1 April 1963. The initial and secondary print runs sold out, with over 60,000 books sold in the first month. Fleming wrote the book in Jamaica whilst the first film in the Eon Productions series of films, Dr. No, was being filmed nearby.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service is the second book in what is known as the "Blofeld trilogy", which begins with Thunderball and concluded with You Only Live Twice. The story centres on Bond's ongoing search to find Ernst Stavro Blofeld after the Thunderball incident; through contact with the College of Arms in London Bond finds Blofeld based in Switzerland. After meeting him and discovering his latest plans, Bond attacks the centre where he is based, although Blofeld escapes in the confusion. Bond meets and falls in love with Contessa Teresa "Tracy" di Vicenzo during the story. The pair marry at the end of the story but Blofeld kills Bond's wife, hours after the ceremony.

Fleming made a number of revelations about Bond's character within the book, including showing an emotional side that was not present in the previous stories. In common with Fleming's other Bond stories, he used the names and places of people he knew or had heard of and Blofeld's research station on Piz Gloria was based on Schloss Mittersill, which the Nazis had turned into a research establishment examining the Asiatic races.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service received broadly good reviews in the British and American press. The novel was adapted to run as a three-part story in Playboy in 1963 and then as a daily comic strip in the Daily Express newspaper in 1964–1965. In 1969 the novel was adapted as the sixth film in the Eon Productions James Bond film series and was the only film to star George Lazenby as Bond. On Her Majesty's Secret Service was written in Jamaica at Fleming's Goldeneye estate in January and February 1962, whilst the first Bond film, Dr. No was being filmed nearby. The first draft of the novel was 196 pages long and called The Belles of Hell. Fleming later changed the title after being told of a nineteenth-century sailing novel called On Her Majesty's Secret Service, seen by Fleming's friend Nicholas Henderson in Portobello Road Market.

As with his previous novels, Fleming used events from his past as elements in his novel. Whilst at Kitzbühel in the 1930s, Fleming's car, a Standard Tourer, had been struck by a train at a level crossing and he had been dragged fifty yards down the track. From that time on he had associated trains with death, which led to their use as a plot device not just in The Man with the Golden Gun, but also in Diamonds Are Forever and From Russia, with Love.
To demonstrate just how much all things original Bond are appreciated in the world of collectors, the Walther pistol used by Connery in the poster of From Russia With Love, in 1963, and also drawn in the man With The Golden Gun is in fact just an air pistol. A .177 (4.5mm) Walther 'LP MOD.53' Air Pistol, Serial No. 054159. That pseudo pistol was sold by Christies in 2010, with an estimate of £15,000 to £20,000, but for an incredible £277,000. {We dropped out of the bidding at a mere £22,000} Incredible in that it was never used in any film, it was just an air pistol, not a real automatic, and only ever used in promotional posters. It was 'said' to have been used by accident in fact as they couldn't find a correct Walther.
A full set of 1st edition Ian Fleming's 14 James Bond novels published by Jonathan Cape between 1953-1966 could now cost in the region of £90,000. plus Comprising: Casino Royale, Live and Let Die, Moonraker, Diamonds are Forever, From Russia with Love, Dr No, Goldfinger, For Your Eyes Only, Thunderball, The Spy Who Loved Me, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, You Only Live Twice, The Man with the Golden Gun and Octopussy and the Living Daylights.
The dust jacket has a few small tears, and a water stain, with first page opening at the hinge seam, but a nice rare copy considering it is over 50 years old.

Out of interest, our last example of this super Ist edition James Bond, in around the same condition, we sold as a gift for an American megastar, who is now, apparently, the most famous and biggest selling movie actor in the world.  read more

Code: 25088

James Bond Ist Edition "You Only Live Twice" Ist Impression

Jonathan Cape, London, 1964. the 2th Bond book. Black Cloth with Japanese kanji . Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition:Good. First Edition. A first edition/first Impression. Throughout a jolly nice copy. "When Ernst Stavro Blofeld blasted into eternity the girl whom James Bond had married only hours before, the heart, the zest for life, went out of Bond" (from the dust-jacket). Basis for the James Bond movie with Sean Connery and Karin Dor as Bond-Girl Helga Brandt. This film is the first Bond movie to deviate from the source material. Other than the Japanese setting, and several characters, the two stories are very different.
You Only Live Twice
Cinema poster showing Sean Connery as James Bond sitting in a pool of water and being attended to by eight black-haired Japanese women
British cinema poster for You Only Live Twice, designed and illustrated by Robert McGinnis and Frank McCarthy
Directed by Lewis Gilbert
Produced by Albert R. Broccoli
Harry Saltzman

Distributed by United Artists
Release date
12 June 1967 (London, premiere)
You Only Live Twice is a 1967 British spy film and the fifth in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions, starring Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film's screenplay was written by Roald Dahl, and loosely based on Ian Fleming's 1964 novel of the same name. It is the first James Bond film to discard most of Fleming's plot, using only a few characters and locations from the book as the background for an entirely new story.

In the film, Bond is dispatched to Japan after American and Soviet manned spacecraft disappear mysteriously in orbit. With each nation blaming the other amidst the Cold War, Bond travels secretly to a remote Japanese island to find the perpetrators and comes face to face with Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the head of SPECTRE. The film reveals the appearance of Blofeld, who was previously a partially unseen character. SPECTRE is working for the government of an unnamed Asian power, implied to be the People's Republic of China, to provoke war between the superpowers.

During the filming in Japan, it was announced that Sean Connery would retire from the role of Bond, but after a hiatus, he returned in 1971's Diamonds Are Forever and later 1983's non-Eon Bond film Never Say Never Again. You Only Live Twice is the first Bond film to be directed by Lewis Gilbert, who later directed the 1977 film The Spy Who Loved Me and the 1979 film Moonraker, both starring Roger Moore.

You Only Live Twice was a great success, receiving positive reviews and grossing over $111 million in worldwide box office.  read more

Code: 21780

On Her Majesty s Secret Service, Ian Fleming, 1st Edition Very Nice Condition Overall

On Her Majesty s Secret Service, Ian Fleming, first edition, first print, Jonathan Cape, 1963. Cloth-bound book is firm and square.

The second title in Fleming’s ‘Blofield Trilogy’, which begins with ‘Thunderball’ and ends with ‘You Only Live Twice.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service is a 1969 spy film and the sixth in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions. It is based on the 1963 novel by Ian Fleming. Following Sean Connery's decision to retire from the role after You Only Live Twice, Eon selected George Lazenby, a model with no prior acting credits, to play the part of James Bond. During filming, Lazenby announced that he would play the role of Bond only once. Connery returned to portray Bond in 1971's Diamonds Are Forever.

In the film, Bond faces Blofeld (Telly Savalas), who is planning to hold the world ransom by a threat to render all food plants and livestock infertile through the actions of a group of brainwashed "angels of death". Along the way Bond meets, falls in love with, and eventually marries Contessa Teresa di Vicenzo (Diana Rigg).

It is the only Bond film to have been directed by Peter R. Hunt (with this serving as his directorial debut), who had served as a film editor and second unit director on previous films in the series. Hunt, along with producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, decided to produce a more realistic film that would follow the novel closely. It was shot in Switzerland, England, and Portugal from October 1968 to May 1969. Although its cinema release was not as lucrative as its predecessor You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty's Secret Service was still one of the top-performing films of the year. Critical reviews upon release were mixed, but the film's reputation has improved greatly over time and is now regarded as one of the strongest entries in the series as well as one of the most faithful adaptations of a Fleming novel.

The novel On Her Majesty's Secret Service was first published after the film series started and contains "a gentle dig at the cinematic Bond's gadgets"; Broccoli and Saltzman had originally intended to make On Her Majesty's Secret Service after Goldfinger and Richard Maibaum worked on a script at that time.10 However, Thunderball was filmed instead after the ongoing rights dispute over the novel was settled between Fleming and Kevin McClory.11 On Her Majesty's Secret Service was due to follow that,10 but problems with a warm Swiss winter and inadequate snow cover led to Saltzman and Broccoli postponing the film again, favouring production of You Only Live Twice.12

Between the resignation of Sean Connery at the beginning of filming You Only Live Twice and its release, Saltzman had planned to adapt The Man with the Golden Gun in Cambodia and use Roger Moore as the next Bond, but political instability meant the location was ruled out and Moore signed up for another series of The Saint.13 After You Only Live Twice was released in 1967, the producers once again picked up with On Her Majesty's Secret Service.10

Peter Hunt, who had worked on the five preceding films, had impressed Broccoli and Saltzman enough to earn his directorial debut as they believed his quick cutting had set the style for the series.14 It was also the result of a long-standing promise from Broccoli and Saltzman for a directorial position, which they honored after Lewis Gilbert declined to direct.1516 Hunt also asked for the position during the production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and he brought along with him many crew members, including cinematographer Michael Reed.17 Hunt was focused on making his mark – "I wanted it to be different than any other Bond film would be. It was my film, not anyone else's."18 On Her Majesty's Secret Service was the last film in the series on which Hunt worked  read more

Code: 24936

19th Century, Circa 1880, Victorian Period Classical Figures of Renaissance Knights or the Founders of the Landsknechte Knight Mercenaries

A most attractive pair of original antique bronzed classical military figurines of historical armoured nobles. Possibly a rendition of Kaiser Maximilian I. und Georg von Frundsberg,

See photo in the gallery of Kaiser Maximilian I. und Georg von Frundsberg, depicting Maximilian I and Georg von Frundsberg, founders of the Landsknechte, by Karl von Blaas

A pair that would enhance any suitable interior decor, especially a gentleman’s study or library. In the past we have seen such figures suitably converted into pairs of lamps with finely formed lampshades, and that can be incredibly effective, especially for interior decorators.

Over the past decades we have sold many such similar pairs of classical bronzed figures to such as, Robert Kime, the so called king of English decorators, the appointed interior decorator to the late Queen Mother, and King Charles. Plus to the great David Hicks, another from the pantheon of the greatest world decorators, who like Robert adored the eclectic mixing of decorative, especially classical, antiques with modern textiles and furnishings.

The Landsknechte were Germanic mercenaries used in pike and shot formations during the early modern period. Consisting predominantly of pikemen and supporting foot soldiers, their front line was formed by Doppelsöldner ("double-pay men") renowned for their use of Zweihänder and arquebus. They formed the bulk of the Holy Roman Empire's Imperial Army from the late 1400s to the early 1600s, fighting in the Habsburg-Valois wars, the Habsburg-Ottoman wars, and the European wars of religion.

Although prone to mutiny if unpaid and divided within their ranks between Catholics and Lutherans, the Landsknechte were well-armed and experienced warriors, recruitable in large numbers throughout Germany and Austria by the Holy Roman Emperor; therefore, they guaranteed both quantity and quality to the Imperial military for a century and a half. At their peak during the reign of Charles V of Habsburg, and under the leadership of notable captains such as Georg von Frundsberg and Nicholas of Salm, the Imperial Landsknechts obtained important successes such as the capture of the French King Francis I at the Battle of Pavia in 1525 and the resistance against the Ottoman Turks led by Suleiman the Magnificent at the Siege of Vienna in 1529, while also being responsible for the infamous Sack of Rome in 1527

Bronze and light gilt finished spelter, figurines.
This alloy was first introduced by Sheffield manufacturers in the second half of the 18th century and is a product of the industrial revolution.
It was also known in its early days as white metal. it was hugely popular for sculptures of figures for decorative display, usually of historical figures.

Condition for age very good, One figure lacks a thumb.

13 inches high
Every single item from The Lanes Armoury is accompanied by our unique Certificate of Authenticity. Part of our continued dedication to maintain the standards forged by us over the past 100 years of our family’s trading, as Britain’s oldest established, and favourite, armoury and gallery  read more

Code: 25010