French WWII Trench Periscope

Comprising military and civilian weapons: short rapier; basket hilted sword; sabre seemingly with scabbard; rapier blade. 3.45 kg total, 62-100 cm



Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection.

The two sabres, with the particular hilt and steel scabbard, seems to have affinities with Hungarian sabres of about 1837-1838, destined to staff and senior officers of the Austro-Hungarian Kingdom Hussars. At the end of the 1830s, the Austrian military leaders introduced a new type of sabre for the Hussar officers, while the 1837 infantry officer sabre was standardised.

The rounded two-piece skull joined along the crest with a high medial comb, internally fitted with a quilted canvas lining sewn to a leather lining-band, the brow with a fixed rounded peak, outward-flanged rear edge with a matching one-piece neck guard, hinged cheek-pieces flanged outwards at the lower edge to serve as a continuation of the neck-guard. 1.7 kg, 29 cm



with Thomas Del Mar Ltd, 7th December 2017, lot 542. The Kusmirek Collection, UK. Accompanied by a copy of the Thomas Del Mar invoice. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D'Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11762-203983.

The burgonet (Italian borgognotta) had developed at the beginning of the 16th century from the sallet and soon became a very popular helmet worn in many parts of Europe (especially in Germany and Northern Italy) by infantry and later cavalry units. A clear advantage of this helmet was the unifying a good protective function against cut and thrust weapons with a unhindered field of sight, good ventilation and user comfort due to the small weight and the fact it could be worn independently without an armour.

Of tapering cylindrical form with flange to socket, the upper body displaying vertical columns of chevrons between plain bands. 449 grams, 23 cm



Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.

This gorz mace head belongs to the category of truncheon-shaped mace-heads, a type developed on the Iranian plateau during the Bronze Age, used by Elamite and Luristan warriors since the 3rd millennium B.C. This category of objects was also interpreted as a part of a shaft or cudgel, but most scholars agree on the interpretation of use as a mace.