Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - Kaskara in Silver Dress: an essay for comment and discussion by Ed Hunley

Ian · 19th July 2018, 06:59 PM

2. Stars and Comets

These examples are intriguing and are rare in my experience. The design consists of opposed comet-like head and tail swoops offset by 5–6 pointed stars. At the center front is a diamond-shaped box with four small diamonds arranged in a vertical square. I've not considered one of these covers in 3-D, seen one unrolled flat or as a template, so it is difficult to present a full picture.

Most intriguing is that the same basic design is exhibited on the oldest documented example of a kaskara, the sword of Nasir Mohammad, the Funj sultan from 1762–69 (see attached Fig. 9), as well as more modern examples. The Nasir design also is on three of the six swords in the al-Shinqiti collection as mentioned above. If the Nasir design is 200 years old and has remained unchanged for that time, it must be full of symbolism and significance to have reappeared to honor al-Shinqiti.

Examples

Fig. 9. Nasir Mohammad sword (c.1762). This sword has all the elements of a first quality kaskara: a high-end blade, marked as a German source, with a perfect high taper quillon and a star and comet silver-covered grip. Indeed, all quillons produced since this design and method of manufacture have degenerated in style and quality. [A skilled swordsmith in Kassala in 1984 said that no one currently makes quillons of that flared design.] The sword is equal in quality to the Ali Dinar (c.1900-1916) piece shown above, except it doesn't have the rich engraving on the quillons. Its “perfect” condition begs the questions: Where did it come from? What is its stylistic development history? Are there any known examples of precedent designs? The Nasir sword is shown here, with a good background by Regihis: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=16814

Fig. 10 a,b. Two views of the same sword in the al Shinqiti Collection are attached. The theme resembles that in Fig. 9, but it has only one “V” line above top center pair of comets. Note the flared quillon (Fig. 10a). Fig. 10b shows the end of the quillon's diamond shape. I wonder if this diamond motif has symbolic relevance like the design on the diamond silver case. It looks to me that if the sword was restored, especially the pommel, it could be a brother to the Nasir Mohammad example and a potential Funj sword as well.

Fig. 11. Another sword from the al Shinqiti Collection. To my eye the silver work is virtually identical to the 1762 grip cover in Fig. 9, although the silver band at the bottom is not there.

--------- Attachments: Figures 9, 10a,b, 11, 12 ---------

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19th July 2018, 06:59 PM	#2
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,029	Kaskara in Silver Dress: an essay for comment and discussion by Ed Hunley--Part 2 2. Stars and Comets These examples are intriguing and are rare in my experience. The design consists of opposed comet-like head and tail swoops offset by 5–6 pointed stars. At the center front is a diamond-shaped box with four small diamonds arranged in a vertical square. I've not considered one of these covers in 3-D, seen one unrolled flat or as a template, so it is difficult to present a full picture. Most intriguing is that the same basic design is exhibited on the oldest documented example of a kaskara, the sword of Nasir Mohammad, the Funj sultan from 1762–69 (see attached Fig. 9), as well as more modern examples. The Nasir design also is on three of the six swords in the al-Shinqiti collection as mentioned above. If the Nasir design is 200 years old and has remained unchanged for that time, it must be full of symbolism and significance to have reappeared to honor al-Shinqiti. Examples Fig. 9. Nasir Mohammad sword (c.1762). This sword has all the elements of a first quality kaskara: a high-end blade, marked as a German source, with a perfect high taper quillon and a star and comet silver-covered grip. Indeed, all quillons produced since this design and method of manufacture have degenerated in style and quality. [A skilled swordsmith in Kassala in 1984 said that no one currently makes quillons of that flared design.] The sword is equal in quality to the Ali Dinar (c.1900-1916) piece shown above, except it doesn't have the rich engraving on the quillons. Its “perfect” condition begs the questions: Where did it come from? What is its stylistic development history? Are there any known examples of precedent designs? The Nasir sword is shown here, with a good background by Regihis: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=16814 Fig. 10 a,b. Two views of the same sword in the al Shinqiti Collection are attached. The theme resembles that in Fig. 9, but it has only one “V” line above top center pair of comets. Note the flared quillon (Fig. 10a). Fig. 10b shows the end of the quillon's diamond shape. I wonder if this diamond motif has symbolic relevance like the design on the diamond silver case. It looks to me that if the sword was restored, especially the pommel, it could be a brother to the Nasir Mohammad example and a potential Funj sword as well. Fig. 11. Another sword from the al Shinqiti Collection. To my eye the silver work is virtually identical to the 1762 grip cover in Fig. 9, although the silver band at the bottom is not there. --------- Attachments: Figures 9, 10a,b, 11, 12 --------- . Attached Images Last edited by Ian; 20th July 2018 at 04:18 AM.