Partisan
- Culture
- German
- Date
- 1719
- Material
- Steel and refreshed gold
- made in
- Dresden, Saxony state, Germany, Europe
- Classification
- Arms & armor, metalwork
- Collection
- Decorative Arts and Design
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 126
- Dimensions
- staff and head: 109 1/2 x 9 3/4 x 3 1/4 in. (278.1 x 24.8 x 8.3 cm)
head only: 24 1/4 x 9 3/4 x 1/2 in. (61.6 x 24.8 x 1.3 cm)
weight (head only): 2 lb. 3 oz. (1 kg) - Credit Line
- Museum Purchase
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 166:1926
NOTES
This purely ceremonial arm was carried on important court and state occasions by an officer of the Noble Guard. The Hapsburg double eagle on the blade is believed to allude to the marriage that united Saxony-Poland and Hapsburg Austria.
Provenance
1719 -
Court of King Augustus II the Strong, Elector of Saxony and King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Dresden, Germany (1670-1733) [1]
by early 19th century - 1926
Princes von Liechtenstein, Castle Vaduz, Liechtenstein, purchased at sale of court's armory, Dresden, Germany [2]
1926 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased at auction of the Liechtenstein collection, "European Arms and Armor Mainly XV, XVI, & XVII Centuries, Including Artistic and Rare Specimens from Princely Provenience," American Art Association, November 19-20, 1926, lot no. 288 [3]
Notes:
[1] According to scholar Walter Karcheski Jr., the partisan was used by the Noble Guard (Chevalier-Garde) of the court of King Augustus II the Strong. The engraved design of the Hapsburg double eagle is believed to refer to the August 1719 marriage between Friedrich Augustus II of Saxony (1696-1763), son of King Augustus II The Strong, and Maria Josepha, daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I, that united Saxony and Hapsburg Austria [SLAM document files].
[2] In the early 19th century the Dresden court was modernized and much of the court's armory was dispersed through the art market; 166:1926 was purchased by the Liechtenstein princes at this time. On the staff is a stamped brass tag, bearing the number 1937, which has been identified as a Liechtenstein inventory number [SLAM document files].
[3] Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, December 10, 1926.
Court of King Augustus II the Strong, Elector of Saxony and King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Dresden, Germany (1670-1733) [1]
by early 19th century - 1926
Princes von Liechtenstein, Castle Vaduz, Liechtenstein, purchased at sale of court's armory, Dresden, Germany [2]
1926 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased at auction of the Liechtenstein collection, "European Arms and Armor Mainly XV, XVI, & XVII Centuries, Including Artistic and Rare Specimens from Princely Provenience," American Art Association, November 19-20, 1926, lot no. 288 [3]
Notes:
[1] According to scholar Walter Karcheski Jr., the partisan was used by the Noble Guard (Chevalier-Garde) of the court of King Augustus II the Strong. The engraved design of the Hapsburg double eagle is believed to refer to the August 1719 marriage between Friedrich Augustus II of Saxony (1696-1763), son of King Augustus II The Strong, and Maria Josepha, daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I, that united Saxony and Hapsburg Austria [SLAM document files].
[2] In the early 19th century the Dresden court was modernized and much of the court's armory was dispersed through the art market; 166:1926 was purchased by the Liechtenstein princes at this time. On the staff is a stamped brass tag, bearing the number 1937, which has been identified as a Liechtenstein inventory number [SLAM document files].
[3] Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, December 10, 1926.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.