Hunting Sabre with Single-Edged Blade, Stag Horn Grip and Shell Guard, Leather Scabbard
Steel, brass, stag horn and leather. Single-edged, slightly curved blade with single-sided grind. Stag horn grip with natural surface, mounted on a D-shaped brass knuckle bow with shell-shaped pommel and acorn-shaped finial. Leather scabbard with brass fittings at throat and chape and a suspension ring. The blade with distinct signs of use and surface corrosion, the stag horn grip with natural age patina, the scabbard with wear marks and ageing of the leather. Overall length 71 cm, blade length 56 cm.
The hunting sabre was a prevalent edged weapon in courtly and bourgeois hunting of the 18th and 19th centuries. In contrast to the Hirschfänger, which served as a short thrusting weapon for dispatching cornered game, the hunting sabre with its curved blade was designed as a cutting weapon for severing the tendons of quarry. The stag horn grip of natural antler is a typical design feature of hunting edged weapons, providing both functional grip security and a hunting association. The shell form at the pommel is a design element widely found in 18th-century edged weapon production.