Germany, Weimar Republic. A Hunting/Forestry Association Cutlass, by E. & F. Hörster

(Hirschfänger). A striking and extremely well-preserved Hunting/Forestry Association cutlass, measuring 51 cm in total length when inserted into the scabbard. It features a 33 cm-long, nickel-plated, magnetic steel blade with a sharpened tip and lower edge. The blade features double-sided, acid-etched imagery executed in exceptional detail, with the obverse bearing arabesque latticework interspersed with a stag’s head, rifle, cutlass, and bullseye target, while the reverse bears floral imagery with a hound, horn,a and stag. The obverse ricasso is maker marked with an early variation of the logo of E. & F. Hörster, Solingen. The blade sits securely within a gilded bronze crossguard taking the form of dual boar’s heads, with the obverse bearing a clamshell medallion featuring a raised Geneve Cross pierced by arrows, and with a green wool buffer pad covering the seam. The handle grip is composed of a single piece of curved and polished staghorn. Inset into the obverse of the handle are three bronze acorns, all situated within dual oak leaves. It completes with a pommel bearing a nut in the form of an acorn, screwing in to maintain the cutlass’ structural integrity. It is accompanied by its original scabbard, constructed of a boiled and blackened leather shaft. Gilded bronze fixtures are secured to both the tip and throat, with the latter featuring a downward-pointing hook in the form of a stylized acorn for the accommodation of a frog. The throat retains a functional spring catch to firmly hold the cutlass in place during storage. Minor issues consistent with age and wear are evident, and include some loosening of the cutlass’ structure, with some additional fatigue to the scabbard leather which has loosened the tip fixture. A high-quality example, it remains in a near extremely fine condition.