examples from post 9 have one thing in common , which is the ring guard chiselled in the shape of a lion in deep relief , a real Dutch feature .
f/m a hilt has to be seen as a whole, not as separate elements .
Fe you can find the lionhead pommel on 18th century English hangers and also on 16thC 1+1/2 hand swiss sabers made by Christoph 1 Standler in Germany/Munich.
Fantasy seamonsters heads on 16thC katzbalgers and on early 18thC French small swords .
The combination makes it interesting and helps an arm to be attributed to a particular area.
Remarkably, in the 17th century was the success of the Dutch world trade through the VOC and WIC and the Baltic Sea , and in between European countries, the great military successes against seemingly much stronger countries like Spain and England , the vast fleet - with 2,000 vessels greater than that of England and France together, the flourishing of arts and Dutch science. There was a large flow of goods and people between the countries , which has influenced who and who has influenced whom is hard to say .
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but one developement can be claimed!
The chain between knuckle guard and pommel is probably a Dutch development from the third quarter of the 17th century. witness a hanger of a member of the city guard of Alkmaar painted by Rotius in 1650( btw a similar shell-guard as the sword in post 1) and the sword/hanger with agate grip worn by Cornelis Tromp (not me) . see attachement.
The development of the lion head pommel probably started around 1500 in Germany and fanned out across Europe in the subsequent 300 years.
best,
Last edited by cornelistromp; 6th May 2014 at 10:47 AM.
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