MAGNIFICENT AND SPLENDID RED AND WHITE ENAMELED, ETCHED AND GILT COMPLETE SUIT OF ARMOUR AFTER THE ARMOR OF KING CHRISTIAN II OF DENMARK IN THE ROYAL ARMOURY FROM THE ATELIER OF ERNST SCHMIDT CIRCA 1900.

This masterpiece of the German armorer’s art comprises low combed close helmet with visor and bevor and gorget plates, gorget of four plates, breastplate with movable gussets, skirt, tassets of four plates; complete arm defenses with pauldrons, upper and lower canons, large couters with closed wings, complete mitten gauntlets with pointed cuffs, jambs and sabatons with spatulate toes, and roweled spurs, the entire armor decorated with red and white enamel, etched and richly gilt throughout with strapwork and arabesques. The richness of this armor surpasses the original in Stockholm which is circa 1535, in every way. This superb work of steel sculpture appears on plate 80 of the Ernst Schmidt Catalog and Album of Reproductions of Arms and Armor (1910) and is by far the most expensive armor in the entire catalog. The cost in 1910 was 12,000 Marks. At the time the German Mark was equal to the American dollar. The Catalog lists complete etched armors complete with shield and halberd costing 225 Marks, two handed swords from 45 Marks to 80 Marks and complete Gothic armors copied from the Hefner Alteneck originals for 800 Marks. Using the most basic measure, 12000 Marks in 1910 would be equal to $280,800 in 2010 dollars. The last great, original decorated armour was sold in the dispersal of the Hever Castle Armoury, May 5th 1983 as Lot 44 for 1,925,000 British Pounds or $3,022,250. PROVENANCE: The Atelier of Ernst Schmidt, Munich, Germany, 1900; Alan S. Kelley, Middlebury, Connecticut. CONDITION: The condition overall is superb and substantially as it was more than a century ago. The gilding and enameled decoration are virtually pristine with a few very minor touch-ups. Several fingerplates on one gauntlet have been restored. It has been more than three decades since the Hever Castle sale and no other original, magnificent armors have come to the market either by public or private sale, nor is one likely to. This splendid, complete harness represents probably the only opportunity for the collector to acquire a truly grand armor of genuine magnificence. 4-51987 (75,000-125,000) – Lot 3456

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Auction: Firearms - Fall 2014

Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

Image	Lot	Price	Description
	3456	$40,000.00	MAGNIFICENT AND SPLENDID RED AND WHITE ENAMELED, ETCHED AND GILT COMPLETE SUIT OF ARMOUR AFTER THE ARMOR OF KING CHRISTIAN II OF DENMARK IN THE ROYAL ARMOURY FROM THE ATELIER OF ERNST SCHMIDT CIRCA 1900. This masterpiece of the German armorer’s art comprises low combed close helmet with visor and bevor and gorget plates, gorget of four plates, breastplate with movable gussets, skirt, tassets of four plates; complete arm defenses with pauldrons, upper and lower canons, large couters with closed wings, complete mitten gauntlets with pointed cuffs, jambs and sabatons with spatulate toes, and roweled spurs, the entire armor decorated with red and white enamel, etched and richly gilt throughout with strapwork and arabesques. The richness of this armor surpasses the original in Stockholm which is circa 1535, in every way. This superb work of steel sculpture appears on plate 80 of the Ernst Schmidt Catalog and Album of Reproductions of Arms and Armor (1910) and is by far the most expensive armor in the entire catalog. The cost in 1910 was 12,000 Marks. At the time the German Mark was equal to the American dollar. The Catalog lists complete etched armors complete with shield and halberd costing 225 Marks, two handed swords from 45 Marks to 80 Marks and complete Gothic armors copied from the Hefner Alteneck originals for 800 Marks. Using the most basic measure, 12000 Marks in 1910 would be equal to $280,800 in 2010 dollars. The last great, original decorated armour was sold in the dispersal of the Hever Castle Armoury, May 5th 1983 as Lot 44 for 1,925,000 British Pounds or $3,022,250. PROVENANCE: The Atelier of Ernst Schmidt, Munich, Germany, 1900; Alan S. Kelley, Middlebury, Connecticut. CONDITION: The condition overall is superb and substantially as it was more than a century ago. The gilding and enameled decoration are virtually pristine with a few very minor touch-ups. Several fingerplates on one gauntlet have been restored. It has been more than three decades since the Hever Castle sale and no other original, magnificent armors have come to the market either by public or private sale, nor is one likely to. This splendid, complete harness represents probably the only opportunity for the collector to acquire a truly grand armor of genuine magnificence. 4-51987 (75,000-125,000) – Lot 3456 Click here to view provenance Auction: Firearms - Fall 2014 Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

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MAGNIFICENT AND SPLENDID RED AND WHITE ENAMELED, ETCHED AND GILT COMPLETE SUIT OF ARMOUR AFTER THE ARMOR OF KING CHRISTIAN II OF DENMARK IN THE ROYAL ARMOURY FROM THE ATELIER OF ERNST SCHMIDT CIRCA 1900.