Germany, Imperial. A Hunting Cutlass, by Peter Knecht, c. 1846

(Hirschfänger). A well-preserved hunting cutlass, measuring 57.5 cm in total length. It features a 45 cm-long magnetic steel blade with a sharpened tip and edges. The lower third of the shaft features double-sided acid etched designs consisting of stags situated within forested imagery and arabesques, executed in exceptional detail. It features a double-sided maker’s mark of “P. KNECHT, SOLINGEN”, for the firm of Peter Knecht, with a date that appears to read “1846”. It sits securely within a multi-piece hilt consisting of a magnetic metal crossguard with a dark brown wooden handle grip, culminating in a magnetic metal pommel. The blade’s tip has been slightly blunted, with a consistent patina and some surface wear evident, in addition to some surface oxidation of the hilt’s metal features. This early example is in a very fine condition.