c. 1730
Hunting Sword (Hanger) with Integral Flintlock Pistol
Johann Andreas NiefindGerman (active Olbernhau, Saxony), 1674 - 1731
Used for hunting deer or boar on horseback, this weapon unites a firearm with a long blade. The pistol would have been used first, fired at the animal at close range to inflict a mortal wound, after which the hunter would dismount to deliver the final blow with the sword. Combination weapons of this type were popular in eighteenth-century Europe and were often elaborately decorated for the noblemen who owned them. However, few were crafted with as much care and skill as this example, which is outstanding for the quality of the design and execution of its ornament.
The shape, construction, and adornment of this pistol and sword are closely related to two combination weapons today in the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen (Dresden State Art Collections), Germany, that were presented in 1725 to King Augustus II “the Strong” of Poland by his master of the hunt Carl Gottlob von Leubnitz. One of the weapons in Dresden and this one here are signed by Johann Andreas Niefind, a gunmaker working in the small town of Olbernhau in Saxony, Germany, where von Leubnitz owned a gun manufactory.
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