Khanjar in unlikely plain silver mounts

[Lee]

The mounts are good solid silver with some rubbed hallmarks of European appearance - hopefully someone here will recognize them. I have the sense that this was mounted for "concealed carry." The sheath and hilt have a simple locking mechanism and a small pin must be pressed on both sides to unsheath the blade. It appears that a loop on the opposite side of the sheath has been lost.

I'm interested in opinions on the origin of both the blade and the mounts.

[Oliver Pinchot]

Hi Lee,

This is from the Ottoman Plain Tradition, during which silver (also copper and brass) was permitted its moment. This period lasted about 50 years in the latter 18th century. I have seen Venetian and Epirot examples as well. Nice one.

[Battara]

Very nice example.

[Lee]

Thank you Oliver! I must confess that I was totally ignorant of this movement in Ottoman art.

A current thread about stories accompanying items from dealers (http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=30925) brought to mind that when I bought this, decades ago, I was told the marks were Bavarian import marks. Sure enough, following several internet searches I find the larger of the two marks is a variation on the Munich coat of arms (better with a jeweler's loupe than any photo I can capture) and would be used with another mark for origin on an imported silver item before 1886. Probably an interesting story there, definitely now lost.