Victorinox Carved Stainless Steel Swiss Army Knife & Pocket Watch Set Lion
This beautiful knife is made by Victorinox. The handles are made of Stainless Steel and covered with Old Silver.
The other side is ornamented with a replica of the Lion of Lucerne monument in relief. This knife is a master piece and is hard to find. What is the meaning of the Lion Monument? From the early 17th century, a regiment of Swiss mercenaries had served as part of the Royal Household of France.
On 6 October 1789, King Louis XVI had been forced to move with his family from the Palace of Versailles to the Tuileries Palace in Paris. In June 1791 he tried to flee abroad. In the 1792 10th of August Insurrection, revolutionaries stormed the palace. Fighting broke out spontaneously after the Royal Family had been escorted from the Tuileries to take refuge with the Legislative Assembly. The Swiss Guards ran low on ammunition and were overwhelmed by superior numbers.A note written by the King has survived, ordering the Swiss to retire and return to their barracks, but this was only acted on after their position had become untenable. Of the Swiss Guards defending the Tuileries, more than six hundred were killed during the fighting or massacred after surrender.
An estimated two hundred more died in prison of their wounds or were killed during the September Massacres that followed. Apart from about a hundred Swiss who escaped from the Tuileries, the only survivors of the regiment were a 300 strong detachment which had been sent to Normandy a few days before August 10. The Swiss officers were mostly amongst those massacred, although Major Karl Josef von Bachmann in command at the Tuileries was formally tried and guillotined in September, still wearing his red uniform coat.Two surviving Swiss officers achieved senior rank under Napoleon. The initiative to create the monument was taken by Karl Pfyffer von Altishofen, an officer of the Guards who had been on leave in Lucerne at that time of the fight.
The monument was designed by Danish sculptor Bertel Thovaldsen, and finally hewn in 182021 by Lukas Ahorn, in a former sandstone quarry near Lucerne. Carved into the cliff face, the monument measures a staggering ten meters in length and six meters in height. The Lion Monument was inaugurated on August 10, 1821. Originally the site was private property.
In 1882 the city of Lucerne bought it. The monument soon became one of Lucerne's major tourist attractions.
The knife is the Spartan model. It is 3 & 1/2 inches long by 3/4 inch wide, when closed or 91mm by 20mm.
It has a master blade, small blade, can opener with small screwdriver, bottle opener with large screwdriver and wire stripper and keyring. It is very beautiful and shiny. Fine Swiss Pocket Watch with high precision movement. It is made of Old Silver and is ornamented with a matching scene showing the Lion of Lucerne. It beautifully matches the knife and makes a very elegant set.
It comes with a 10 inch chain that can attach to shirt or pants. The item "Victorinox Carved Stainless Steel Swiss Army Knife & Pocket Watch Set Lion" is in sale since Sunday, January 14, 2018.
This item is in the category "Collectibles\Knives, Swords & Blades\Collectible Folding Knives\Modern Folding Knives\Factory Manufactured". The seller is "airbagnards" and is located in Gatineau, Quebec. This item can be shipped to North, South, or Latin America, all countries in Europe, all countries in continental Asia, Australia.
- Brand: Victorinox
- Country of Manufacture: Switzerland
- Type: Multi-tool
- Handle Material: Stainless Steel
- Blade Material: Stainless Steel
- Dexterity: Ambidextrous
- Number of Blades: 2
- Tools: Bottle Opener
- Blade Edge: Plain
- Blade Range: Under 2.75in.
- Authenticity: Original
- Opening Mechanism: Manual
- Country/Region of Manufacture: Switzerland