Sword of honor donated by Lloyd's Patiotic Fund, probably ma - Lot 198

Lot n° 198
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Estimation :
300 - 500 EUR
Result with fees
Result : 1 451EUR
Sword of honor donated by Lloyd's Patiotic Fund, probably ma - Lot 198
Sword of honor donated by Lloyd's Patiotic Fund, probably made by George Thurkle of London, circa 1812-1815. The gilded bronze frame features : a pommel in the shape of a vase decorated with trophies of arms in relief, a spindle entirely in gilt bronze imitating gadroons and filigree (slight dents), a hilt branch (missing) and a quillon formed by a bundle of stems around which oak leaves wrap, barrels on carriage (the one on the guard side is missing) replacing the pas-d'âne, and placed on either side of an oval medallion decorated with Hercules smothering the Nemean lion, an oval openwork guard plate with eight shields decorated with a trophy of arms chased in relief. H. 32 cm. England 1812-1815 Poor condition, upper part of the hilt broken, accident to the spindle, blade cut at 15.7 cm, without scabbard. Sword of honor donated by Lloyd's Patiotic Fund, probably made by George Thurkle of London, circa 1812-1815. The gilt bronze mounting consists of : a pommel in the form of a vase decorated with trophies of arms in relief, a grip entirely in gilt bronze imitating gadroons and filigree (slight knocks), a branch of guard (missing) and a quillon formed of a bundle of stems around which oak leaves are wound, barrels on carriage (the one on the guard side is missing) replacing the pas-d'âne, and placed on either side of an oval medallion decorated with Hercules smothering the Nemean lion, an oval openwork guard plate with eight shields decorated with a trophy of arms chased in relief. H. 12 5/8 in England. 1812-1815. Poor condition, top of hilt broken, accident to the grip, blade cut to 15.7cm, no scabbard. 266 CH Bibliography : - Christian Hammer Collection, Stockholm, sale at Heberle in Cologne, 1892, no. 628. - Dr. Max Dreger Collection, Berlin, Walter de Gruyter & Co 1926, no. 111. - Dr. Max Dreger Collection, Berlin, Fischer & Kahlert Berlin 1927, no. 119. - Govare, Paul: "L'assurance maritime anglaise", 1929. May, W.E. & Annis, P.G.W.: "Swords for sea service", London 1970, volume II. - Drejholt, Nils: "A sword of honour from 1812 in the collections of the Royal Armoury in Stockholm", in ICONAM 50 - Basiliscoe Press 2007, pages 165-170. The Lloyd's Committee created and organized the Patriotic Fund. This patriotic subscription was launched in 1803 to defend England against Napoleon's threat of invasion, and was a great success. The Lloyds Patriotic Fund offered awards in pounds sterling, accompanied by a sword or saber, to officers who had proved their exemplary zeal and bravery in a perilous action in defense of the realm. This gilt bronze mounting is identical to that of the gilt silver sword executed in 1814-1815 by George Thurkle (1768-1826), fourbisseur membre de la "Worshipful Company of cutlers" de Londres, and presented to Major J. Elers by Isaac Aldebert and John Atkins Junior on behalf of Lloyd's of London. Jacob Elers (alias Ellersen) had been a Major in the Swedish Navy since 1809, and Commander of the Karlsruhe docks. Commander of the Karlskrona docks, where he had custody of cargoes belonging to English merchants, seized on board vessels flying the Danish and Prussian flags. After negotiations between the English Admiralty and Crown Prince Carl Johan (Bernadotte), the cargoes were returned in 1812, thus averting Sweden's entry into the war against England and Russia. As a sign of gratitude Major Elers received a sword of honor from Lloyd's, and Admiral James de Saumarez a sword of honor from King Charles XIII of Sweden. The workmanship and iconography (trophies, Hercules, oak leaves) are typical of the weapons of honor donated by Lloyd's during the Napoleonic Wars. Among the many swords and sabers of honor on record, this gilt-bronze sword and the silver Elers sword in the Royal Armory in Stockholm are the only two known examples of this model, and the only known example in this material.
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