Over 100 male artefacts influenced by cultural and social change as well as historical periods are presented in auction next week, Tuesday, May 23. The auction of men’s artefacts consists of three sections: swords, trumpets and staves – historical exhibits of museum value, among which some at the time belonged to or were associated with such figures as Queen Elizabeth, King Charles I, King Ferdinand or even Saddam Hussein.

The event, dedicated to men’s artefacts, begins with an impressive selection of swords, some of which were used in armed conflict, while others were decorated for parade. The collectibles in the May 23 auction span a variety of historical periods, cultures, fashions and styles, from Ottoman and Persian gold-plated daggers to medieval European swords used in battle and officers’ weapons from the first two world wars.

An oriental sword with a sheath decorated with filigree silver, which had a ceremonial function, was a surprise at a public auction in Romania, a former protocol gift from the leader of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, to the Minister of the Interior of the German Democratic Republic, Friedrich Diekel. after approx. 1980. The collector’s item, produced during the time of the Arab dictator, has a starting price of 800 euros. A rare exhibit is also a kiliya sword from the heyday of the Ottoman Empire (XVII-XVIII centuries), the starting price of which is 1,000 euros. Made in an Anatolian workshop, the specimen has a walrus ivory hilt and a blade richly decorated and inlaid with brass and gold, Quranic quotations and the owner’s tugrah. From the same register, which combines decorative and cultural functions, is an Indo-Persian ax inlaid with silver, made more than two centuries ago, with a starting price of 200 euros. Another original piece that appears for the first time at Artmark auctions, but of course also in Romania, is an example of a tribal shield from Ethiopia, made of rhinoceros skin, with a starting price of 300 euros.

Pipes, another part of masculine sophistication, are featured in the May 23 auction with examples made in the golden age of pipe smoking, when props were hand-crafted from expensive materials, often carved by professional craftsmen. Pipes, in addition to the utilitarian-status function associated with the images of refined men enjoying moments of aristocratic leisure, also had the role of a protocol gift. This also applies to the trumpet that the Romanian Queen Elizabeth gave to the architects of the Trinitatis Kirche in the German capital Berlin. The large pipe has an ebonized wood centerpiece (with Queen Elizabeth’s kypher surmounted by a royal crown) with horn knots and a Bavarian hand-painted porcelain bowl with a brass lid. Queen Elizabeth, invited by her royal family to the grand opening of the Berlin church, was unable to attend, but in 1898 she sent each of the two architects a Bavarian pipe as a gift, a double symbol of ties to her first homeland.

The choice of wands, another symbol of authority and prestige, brings together special objects that represent mythological figures, animals or Masonic symbols. From luxurious precious wood canes with carved handles and family crests to canes decorated with silver, ivory or semi-precious stones, many of which contained a hidden stiletto, each specimen spoke of the status and personality of its bearer. One of the most interesting items in the May 23 auction is a rare masonic cane with a hidden pin, with an ivory handle representing a skull, decorated with masonic inscriptions and containing a cipher for encrypted messages inside. The work dates back to 1721 and has a starting price of 800 euros.

The selection of swords, pipes and canes is a source of inspiration for interior designers or history buffs looking for unique items to decorate modern spaces, as well as a safe channel for collectors of objects of historical value. “Swords, trumpets and staves. “Male Artifacts Auction” will be held on Tuesday, May 23 at 7:00 PM in the Palatul Cesianu-Racoviță auction room, as well as online on the Artmark Live 2.0 platform.

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