This hilt is the only recorded work of the Dresden sword cutler Israel Schuech. It is one of the best examples of a rapier hilt made with the same materials, techniques, and quality as the fine sculpture, jewelry, and goldsmiths' work for which the Saxon Court was famous.
#4412. Rapier of Prince-Elector Christian II of Saxony
Dimensions:L. 48 in. (121.9 cm); L. of blade 41 1/4 in. (104.8 cm); W. 6 3/4 in. (17.2 cm); Wt. 3 lb. 4 oz. (1474 g)
Classification:Swords
Credit Line:Fletcher Fund, 1970
Object Number:1970.77
Signature: Signed on the hilt: ISRAEL SCHVECH M[achts or esserschmied?] 1606; on the reverse of the blade: IVAN MARTINEZ EN TOLEDO (Juan Martinez in Toledo); on the ricasso: ESPADERO DEL REY (swordsmith of the King).
Inscription: On the obverse of the blade: IN TE DOMINE SPERAVI NON (from Psalm 31:1, King James Version: In Thee, O Lord, do I put my trust...) On the reverse of the blade: IVAN MARTINEZ IN TOLEDO On the ricasso: ESPADERO DEL REY On the hilt: ISRAEL SCHVECH M 1606
Marking: On the ricasso, the following Toledo marks: a crowned T repeated six times; a half moon repeated four times (and twice again at the end of blade grooves); a crowned fleur-de-lis repeated four times.
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Patterns of Collecting: Selected Acquisitions, 1965–1975: Explanatory Texts: An Exhibition, December 6, 1975 through March 23, 1976, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1975. p. 36 (referred to as "a bejewelled Renaissance rapier").
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Pyhrr, Stuart W. "Of Arms and Men: Arms and Armor at the Metropolitan, 1912–2012." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin (Summer 2012), pp. 42–43, fig. 70.
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