Page:A record of European armour and arms through seven centuries (Volume 4).djvu/324

Fig. 1360. Chain-pattern rapier hilt

Possibly the work of Claude Savigny of Tours (1578-95) J 135, Musée d'Artillerie, Paris

rapier with a hilt of solid gold, superbly chased and enamelled by Reesin of Nuremberg in 1571. The author has not had the opportunity of examining it; but he has been informed on the highest authority that it is a beautiful example of German goldsmith work, and he regrets that he has been unable even to obtain a photograph of it. All forms of enrichment were employed upon the hilts of the town-sword or rapier, chiselling, damascening, both azzimina and plating with gold and silver. In the Royal Armoury of Dresden there is an example of gold plating upon a steel hilt of the third quarter of the XVIth century that nothing could exceed in splendour (Fig. 1357); not only is the hilt bold and solid in make, but minute figure subjects are worked into it, and further, it is enriched with settings of precious stones. To it is fitted a fine Toledo blade. But not only were jewels employed in decoration: varieties of applied ornaments were also often resorted to. Thus we have the chain pattern sometimes chiselled out of the metal of the hilt itself (Fig. 1358), and sometimes formed of a small silver chain actually applied, as in the case of the specimens illustrated (Figs. 1359 and 1360), the one in the collection of the Baron de Cosson, the other in the Musée d'Artillerie of Paris (J 135). It may safely be assumed that most of these chain-pattern hilts are of French origin; for there was a maker at Tours, one Claude Savigny (1578-95), who was noted for designing and executing hilts of this design. We are certainly inclined to consider the two last-mentioned hilts as his work; for while one is slightly the richer in elaborate figure subjects, both are very similar. Although it is of different formation, yet,