New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-05-02
ORNATE pistol, once the
property of KING
Charles | of England

Bucchi was later discharged from
the government service and officially
disgraced. Meanwhile, however, a
local merchant had paid the farmer
$3.50, and an Italian-French syndi-
cate struggled the packing cases
across the border and placed them
in the vaults of the Credit-Lyon-
nais in Paris.
The British Museum heard of the
discovery and sent an agent to
Italy, but the syndicate, looking for
the highest price, opened negotia-
tons with the Metropolitan Museum.
General di Cesnola, who was then
director of the museum, had the
packing cases sent to New York.
They came over under a special
guard and after two months of sort
ing over and playing with the frag-
ments the general got a glimmering
Of what they were. Without going
any further he offered the syndicate
$4,000 for the lot. It's asking
price had been 100000 francs, but
it accepted the museums offer.
In making the blga it had been
ornamented with model Of itself
in high relief. 1t was this decora-
ton General di Cesnola had found.
A full size drawing was made from
the model and from it the biga was
reconstructed When the biga was
put on exhibition the Italian gov
eminent went into a great state of
fury and the Italian Parliament held
special indignation meeting. Gen
eral di Cesnola, who was an Italian
by birth, was accused of being
traitor. and Bucchi was disgraced.
General di Cesnola replied that if
the biga had remained in Italy he
would not have touched it, but once
| it was across the Italian border all
! the great museums were sure to bid
! for it and there was no chance of
| its going back to Italy under the
competition of the British Museum,
the Louvre, the Berlin Museum and
the Metropolitan. He felt justified
+ in obtaining it for New York
An Ancient Sword
I Another exhibit of such an
tiquity that it is the only one known
| to be in existence is an Assyrian
bronze sword dating from the four
teenth century 3. c. The curved
/ blade is about twenty inches long
and suggests the Malayan bolo Of
the present On each side Of the
blade and the back it bears three
similar inscriptions, reading, "The
Palace of Vulnori, King of Nations,
Son Of Budil, King Of Assyria, Son
of Belnirai, King of Assyria," and
thus, besides being an example of
ancient arms, it is a valuable his
toric document, as it gives the
names Of three kings of Assyria
who reigned in Assur In the four
teenth century B. C.
The sword is a primitive bronze
Sa-pa-ra of type we'll known from
carvings on Assyrian monuments,
where the god Maruduk is often
shown, armed with a similar weapon,
fighting a dragon. 1t was found
about 1875 by the British explorer
Colonel John Hanbury, at Nardin,
and was for several years in the
Assyrian Gallery Of the British Mu-
scum. The late J. P. Morgan OBJ
tanned it for the Metropolitan.
A Kings Pistol
Mr.. Morgan also gave the Metropol-
itan the seventeenth century wheel
lock pistol that belonged to King
Charles l. 1t is of the short handled
form typical Of the period and the
slender barrel Is incased for nearly
half it's length in decorated gilt
bronze. Inset in the handle are sill
yer plaquettes showing mounted
huntsmen armed with pistols urging
hounds on deer, and on the butt
there is an engraved plaquette
showing a huntsnan in a buff coat
with slashed sleeves and wide hat