152 Important presentation sabre for a royal French or English prince, 2nd half of the 19th century.
The curved single-edged blade with four fullers in the lower half, the back with a serpentine faceted cut, pandora point, the upper half richly decorated with gilded etched vine work, the signature of the venerable Solingen bladesmith's manufactory "P.D. Lüneschloss" above the ricasso. The large iron basket hilt designed in the shape of a lily, the entire surface inlaid with silver and gold wine leaves. On the obverse side bandeau with the ancient English motto "Díeu et mon droit", the likewise fully inlaid inner side with the Spanish motto "Adelante Lacar". Light-coloured grip with wire winding. The blued steel scabbar inlaid "en suite" and decorated with fleurs-de-lis in relief, two suspension straps with spirally cut suspension rings. Complete with gold-embroidered and inlaid leather hangers and attached red leather suspension strap.
Accompanied by the iron belt buckle, also inlaid in silver and gold over the entire surface, the monogram "F C" in the centre in a large mantle with royal crown.
Length of the weapon 102.5 cm.
The motto "Díeu et mon driot" dates back to 1198 and was used as a watchword by King Richard the Lionheart during the victorious Battle of Gisors against the French King Philip II. It is supposed to express that the king is responsible to God alone. Two centuries later, "Díeu et mon driot" was introduced as the official motto of British monarchs by Henry VI (1422-1461), who had been crowned King of both England and France and was fluent in French; it is still found on the English coat of arms. Lilies were first added to the coat of arms by Edward III (1312-1377), in 1340 he declared himself King of France and asserted his claim to the French throne. The Spanish expression "Adelante Lacar" here means, mutatis mutandis, "Forward with renewal".
The weapon as a whole - except for the blade - is a Spanish high-quality piece of wrought ironwork: The use of a German blade has not been uncommon in Spanish edged weapons. Peter Daniel Lüneschloss in Solingen made a number of luxurious edged weapons for crowned heads, cf. e.g. the honorary sword of King Frederick William IV of Prussia, formerly of the German Historical Museum in Berlin (http://www.lostart.de/EN/Verlust/445328).
Important honour sword of exceptional quality probably made for a member of the French or British royal house.