136 BULLETIN 16 3, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



shaped solid brass counterguard surmounted by a plain knob-shaped 

 quillon. The second German military saber °" of this period has a 

 long curved blade with a wide shallow groove and a narrow deep 

 groove near the back on each side. The obverse is decorated with 

 engraved designs representing the sun, moon, and stars and an arm 

 holding a sword. The grip, which is covered with black leather and 

 wound with copper wire, is surmounted by a plain brass strip. The 

 guard consists of two slender brass circular arms, one of which sup- 

 ports an oval shell-shaped counterguard. Both these swords belong 

 to the Alfred F. Hopkins collection. 



SWORD OWNED BY GEN. JOSE ANTONIO PAEZ 



This section of the collection includes a German sword ^^ presented 

 by Gen. Simon Bolivar to Gen. Jose Antonio Paez. The blade is 

 long and straight with a broad deep central groove. One side is 

 curiously decorated with designs in silver and gilt chasing repre- 

 senting the heavens, with the sun, moon, stars, and various small 

 constellations; near the hilt stands a figure of Victory sounding a 

 trumpet within his left hand and holding a sword with his right. 

 The other side is similarly decorated and is divided into sectors by 

 an ornamental band and chain, which intersect each other at brief 

 intervals. The back of the blade is inscribed in script, " Wer die 

 Kliiige zum Rechten fuehrt und glaubt an den das alles hoert so 

 wird er siegen als der Held der die Schlange hat versehrt." The 

 grip is 4-sided and is faced with mother-of-pearl; the obverse is 

 decorated with a small gilt floral design and a silvered design repre- 

 senting fasces crossed by a bow and arrow. The pommel is modeled 

 in the form of the silver gilt head of a Roman soldier. The guard 

 is a 4-sided gilt strip decorated with thunderbolts and scroll designs. 

 The quillons are composed of a narrow flat crescent-shaped strip 

 decorated with floral designs. A large heart-shaped shield attached 

 to the obverse of the blade bears two classical female figures stand- 

 ing on each side of a column, inscribed " Al Heroe Libertado " and 

 surmounted by a shield bearing a laurel wreath. The scabbard is 

 silver gilt, the obverse intricately decorated with classical and ori- 

 ental designs in relief, and the reverse with floral and scroll designs. 

 This sword was lent to the National Museum in 1904 by the heirs 

 of General Paez. 



EARLY NINETEENTH CENTURY MILITARY SABERS 



During the early part of the nineteenth century man}' of the en- 

 listed men of the United States Army carried German swords. 



^Length. 96 cm. Blade. 79 cm. long, 3 cm. \\ide. PI. 40, fig. 5. A third saber of 

 this period is shown on pi. 40, fig. 6. 



" Length, 100 cm. Blade, 85.6 cm. long, 3. a cm. wide. PI. 44, fig. 1. 



