Ethnographic Arms & Armour

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-   -   Opinion on this blade / sword (http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=24994)

Ivo 1st June 2019 11:05 AM

Opinion on this blade / sword
 
11 Attachment(s)
Hello guys, what is your opinion on this blade / sword ?

The blade I think is European, the scabbard is extremely embossed and detailed

The end of the scabbard is typical of the Balkans.

Thank you .

Ivo.

Tim Simmons 1st June 2019 06:08 PM

Looks a bit Burmese to me?

mariusgmioc 1st June 2019 07:12 PM

The blade is European or possibly Russian.

Battara 1st June 2019 07:33 PM

And the scabbard looks to be Ottoman.

Jim McDougall 1st June 2019 07:48 PM

The blade appears to be what is known as 'montmorency' cross section and was used 1790s until about 1820s on British cavalry sabres, but of course many were German made as well. I would imagine the French may have used them too. With the movement of blades naturally Russians could not be discounted either.
In any case, definitely European of that period, and I think one of the most intriguing blade patterns I have seen with that unusual stepped section at the tip. Many British blade patterns of early 19th had this 'stepped' tip often with pipeback (ribbed) backs on the blade. It was a time of considerable innovation in blades for the British as they were sampling all sorts of prototypes to establish a more effective cut and thrust blade.

I would of course defer on the mounts to you guys with that expertise, but agree that the Ottoman denominator seems pretty compelling. The heavy repousse seems to me it might have SE Asian possibility as dha's often have this kind of work, but that scabbard chape as noted seems otherwise.
On that note, I would mention that often Balkan weapons had an 'oriental' theme, and that might correspond to the Ottoman idea.

Sure seems to be a colonially mounted European blade, but more specific hard to say. Really nice! love that blade!

Ren Ren 1st June 2019 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim Simmons
Looks a bit Burmese to me?

In my opinion this subject comes from British Malaya.

Battara 1st June 2019 09:09 PM

Many Ottoman regions used European blades, and this one seems to be a calvary blade. The scabbard toe is definitely Ottoman, and in the Balkans you do see repousse metal on scabbards.

Ivo 1st June 2019 09:22 PM

Yes, it is a "Ottoman" influence - according to me, and the handle is identical to the design of the scabbard .

kronckew 2nd June 2019 07:51 AM

Cool Sword! Not my area, but when I saw the tip of the scabbard I thought 'Turkish' Overall I thought maybe influenced by the Mongols/Tatar/etc. horseman hordes of the Steppes. The poles liked Odd sabres too!. With a metal scabbard I'd want a horse to carry it for me most of the time. :).

Kubur 2nd June 2019 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ivo
The end of the scabbard is typical of the Balkans.

Hi

Typical from the Ottomans!
Yes the blade seems to be European.
But your sword is a real problem... I have no idea...
Could be from Black sea to Algeria...

Tim Simmons 2nd June 2019 02:38 PM

1 Attachment(s)
I do not know much about Ottoman forms. However I can show my thinking on this example. The sword in this attachment was sold a auction 2007. Sold as SEA in the Dutch style. Note the grip, put a Chinese style guard on and you have a similar form. As or the scabbard end, bird motifs, forms and designs are not uncommon on many SE weapons? The floral decoration also have a SEA look?

mariusgmioc 2nd June 2019 03:14 PM

Yet, both the shape of the hilt and the crossguard are anything but Ottoman.

Very confusing!

🤔

Jim McDougall 2nd June 2019 04:03 PM

While that scabbard tip is compellingly Ottoman, there remains an 'Oriental' feel to these mounts, and as I had mentioned the term 'oriental' took a broad scope in definition in the 18th into 19th c.
What has not been mentioned is the oval 'tsuba' type guard (I cannot think of the Chinese term). This curious hilt shape is also as noted, 'oriental' and I have seen it on Indonesian hilts.

I would strongly suspect this anomaly is a product of the heavily traded East Indies, where influences were melded in many ports of call, and blades from Europe were of course among commodities at hand.

Europeans had a strong desire for 'exotica' from these foreign ports, and often officers as well as sailors had weapons fashioned which brought certain degrees of joining of familiar elements of combined types. There were even Chinese artisans brought into Europe in the 18th c. during the enthusiastic desire for such oriental designs on swords, the shakudo and Tonquinese fashions.

One thing most curious in the repousse vegetal pattern on the scabbard is the lozenge pattern, which seems far more European than oriental or for that matter Ottoman. In the Ottoman matter however, this design is known to have been favored in Sudan in some decoration which had certain Islamic favor. Perhaps that might again lend to certain eastern archipelagos where Islamic influence may have been situated?

The thing we can be sure of, this is a European sabre blade of early 19th c.so the colonial and trade context suggests it was mounted in any number of locations, probably East Indies, where these oriental designs abound.

Ibrahiim al Balooshi 2nd June 2019 05:46 PM

It has a distinctive Oriental feel to it. I looked at http://mandarinmansion.com/antique-vietnamese-swords and one that stood out was ..the Officers sword at 19thC on web page …4th from top.(sold.)

Will M 3rd June 2019 03:44 PM

Something about the very good blade quality and fullering that says French to me.

Tim Simmons 3rd June 2019 03:47 PM

If nobody can make comparisons to Balkan swords, then for me it is Indochina where many SEA forms merge.

TVV 3rd June 2019 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim Simmons
If nobody can make comparisons to Balkan swords, then for me it is Indochina where many SEA forms merge.

The decorative motives on the scabbard and the hilt are Balkan though, you can see the same on countless little bichaqs.

ariel 3rd June 2019 07:30 PM

The "Dolphin head" on the scabbard indeed tilts the attribution toward Ottoman empire/Balkans.
But the contour of the handle and the thin " tsuba"-like guard somehow remind me of Tonkin Vietnam.

Kubur 3rd June 2019 08:32 PM

1 Attachment(s)
You are all obsessed by the oriental style and tsuba like guard.
You are a bit like computers with 0 and 1 only...
Please look at Hales book and you will see an Ottoman naval sword with the same kind of guard...
Second the hilt is very similar to some silver flyssa and some of them have so called Ottoman scabbards...
I won't be surprised if this sword was made in Algiers...
;)


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